Victrola and 78 Journal
Issue 10 Winter 1996
In This Issue:
250+ Manufacturers Listed!
Recent Brunswick Records by Nick Lucas
See page 62 for Michael R. Pitts' list of favorite Nick Lucas discs. See page 80 for a review of a
special Green Brothers CD. See pages 76-77 for Frank M. Young's review of a new Emmett Miller
CD. The advertisement below is from the November 1929 issue of The Talking Machine World.
All the Famous Singers, Musicians and Actors .
NOWHERE//
THE MEDICINE SHOW!
CREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
Emmett Miller
Nnrmour AND Smith
Fiiltllin* Joint Ciirsmi
Moonshine Knit*
Bud Blue
Blnck Brollicr*
Frank II ti trltison
Mjirliii MfiUa.v ....
All thews Okch tUrt
miij bt heard on Ihti
one record * • •
Act 1 mul II
^45380-75*
Records
TABLE OF CONTENTS
263 Machines And Their Makers: 1916-1923 -- By R.J. Wakeman 2
Papa Charlie Jackson - By Jas Obrecht 22
*
The Cameo Record Corporation - By Allan Sutton 29
Eldridge R. Johnson's First Numbered Record - By Tim Gracyk 34
Restoring Your Victrola's Appearance - By David Spanovich 38
The Kansas City Talking Machine Company And Its "Original" Recordings of 1898 40
John Fletcher: From Sousa's Band to Black Swan - By Allan Sutton 50
Editor's Comments 54
Lists of Ten Most Played 78s
Gary A. Lynch, Tom Ball, Ron Pendergraft, Kai-Uwe Garrels, Michael R. Pitts, Matt Mintzell 58
Book Reviews
Robert W. Baumbach's COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANION: VOLUME II 64
Charles Neilson Cattey's LUISA TETRAZZINI: THE FLORENTINE NIGHTINGALE 68
Edward A. Berlin's KING OF RAGTIME: SCOTT JOPLIN AND HIS ERA 71
CD Reviews
Emmett Miller, The Minstrel Man From Georgia (Columbia/Legacy CD 66999) 76
A Survey of CDs Featuring Bill Monroe (1912-1 996) 78
Masters of the Xylophone: George Hamilton Green and loe Green (XMC 001) 80
VICTROLA AND 78 JOURNAL
c/o TIM GRACYK
9180 JOY LANE
GRANITE BAY, CA 95746-9682
263 Machines and Their Makers: 1916-1923
By R. J. Wakeman
In The Fabulous Phonograph , Roland
Gelatt states that in 1919 there were nearly 200
phonograph manufacturers in the U.S. Throughout
the 1910s demand for phonographs and records
actually exceeded supply. Many new companies
entered this lucrative field as basic phonograph
patents held by Victor, Columbia, and Edison were
expiring. Most companies advertised in The
Talking Machine World . While reading issues of
the late 1910s and early '20s, I made a list of "off
brands." Not including major companies-Victor,
Edison, Aeolian-Vocalion, Brunswick, Columbia,
Pathe, Sonora-the list totaled over 260 companies!
Many of these were strictly local in
distribution whereas others, such as Cheney and
Starr, enjoyed national distribution. It was not
unusual for a furniture, department, piano, or
music store to sell phonographs under its own
name. To supply these stores, many cabinet
manufacturing firms made and sold complete
phonographs while others sold just the cabinets.
Motors, reproducers, tone arms, and other
hardware could be purchased from a number of
independent manufacturers. The Otto Heineman
Phonograph Supply Company was especially
important for providing basic parts.
Not every phonograph manufacturer is
represented in the following list. I have seen two
upright machines of WWI vintage that bore the
name Colonial, but no such company advertised in
TMW. Some regional companies evidently felt
their advertising dollars would be poorly spent in
a national trade publication such as The Talking
Machine World . On the other hand, some small
companies are surprisingly prominent in TMW.
The Delpheon Company of Bay City, Michigan,
paid for large advertisements in most issues from
1916 to 1918, yet only a handful of Delpheon
machines are known to exist today. Heavy
advertising in TMW did not guarantee brisk sales.
With some 200 phonograph brands on the
market, executives of new firms undoubtedly had
difficulty selecting distinct and memorable names
for their products. Some companies limited their
range of possibilities by following a trend of
adding "-ola" to a prefix.
AuthorFannie Kilbourne wrote adelightful
series of "Will and Dot" short stories which
appeared in American Magazine during the 1920's
and were about Will and Dot Horton, a young up-
to-date couple with small twins. The Hortons had
neighbors who were making payments on their
"Songola." Surprisingly, no real company thought
to add "-ola" to "song" for a company name. The
Robinola's name no doubt was derived from the
robin's reputation for song; the Harmonola's name
was clearly derived from "harmony."
Some company owners added "-ola" to
their own names. For example, William Tonk
called his machine the Tonkola. The machine
made by Sachs and Company was called the
Saxola. Other company owners simply named
machines after themselves-hence, the Cheney,
Crafts, Emerson, Fischer, Heintzman, Heywood-
Wakefield, Onken, Steger, Weser, and Wilson.
Qualities Shared By Many Machines
Most tone arms sold by independent
makers were of the "universal" type which held
reproducers that could be turned and positioned to
play either lateral or vertical shellac records. The
tone arms varied in size and shape, but most were
composed of two or more sections and were not
truly tapered in design since that would violate the
tapered tone arm patent owned by the Victor
Talking Machine Company. To the dismay of
collectors today, many of these "off brand"
phonographs have tone arms and reproducers
made of pot metal, which has not aged well and
now tends to be brittle and break easily. They are
difficult to repair or replace though some col lectors
have made successful repairs using epoxy resins.
By 1 91 9 most phonograph cabinets were
Page 3
made of veneers. High quality three and five-ply
veneers were produced and were excellent for
phonograph cabinets. Mahogany, walnut, oak,
birch and gum were the woods most often used,
mahogany and oak being the most popular.
Spruce was the most favored wood for internal
horns. Because of its evenly proportioned grain,
spruce was considered to provide an ideal sound
chamber. Norway pine, hemlock, balsam fir, and
white pine were also used.
Unique Qualities
Though machines made by different
companies shared qualities, unique features and
designs were carefully advertised. The Hoffay was
Designed by Howard D. Darlington of Dayton,
Ohio, the Organolagraf was announced in an
article in TMW's November 1917 issue. It was
not advertised so it is not in the list of 260-plus
companies. Sound from the reproducer travels
through pipes on all four sides. Were
Organolagrafs ever marketed?
promoted as being "airtight" for better sound
production. The Brooks featured an automatic
repeater and stop device. The Classique featured
a rubber turntable and tone arm. The Dolce-Tone
had a reproducer with a fabric diaphragm. The
Fulton had a spun internal horn. The Olympian
was advertised as a small "apartment sized"
console. The Ko-Hi-Ola was a tall structure that
contained a phonograph, some record shelves, a
large clock on top, and even a "secret" com-
partment. The internal horn of the Crystola was
made of mirror-polished plate glass, which must
have made the machines difficult to ship. The
Ceramiphone featured a ceramic horn. Perhaps
the most remarkable was the Shell-O-Phone which
featured an internal horn made from a large conch-
shell collected on the beach of a South Seas island.
Deca-Disc and Marvelola produced semi-
automatic models that could play in succession a
small stack of discs. The Electric was a coin-
operated automatic phonograph that held 24
cylinders. The Lyradion was one of the first radio-
phonograph cabinets (April 1922); a 2-stage D.C.
Westinghouse receiver was included. The Phono-
Grand, made by the J. P. Seeburg Piano Co. and
advertised as "small enough. ..to fit the apartment of
the man of moderate means," was a combined
talking machine and player piano, playing regular
78 rpm discs and standard Q.R.S. 88 note player
rolls. The Phonola was an upright cabinet which
was collapsible; advertisements claimed it could be
assembled in 60 seconds. Instead a grille in front
of its horn, the Ton-O-Graf had sliding shutters
which could be adjusted "for perfect tone control."
Pressing a button on the Supreme
illuminated three lights, one each for the turntable,
tone chamber and record compartment. Most
impressive was the grille that contained stained
glass and was beautifully illuminated by the tone
chamber light. The grille could be swiveled to an
open position when playing records.
A few firms made wicker cabinets,
considered the best cabinets for use outdoors. The
Lakeside Supply Company's "Art-Kraft Luxfibre"
case sold for $200 to $300, depending on finish
and hardware.
*
Page 4
Kiddie Machines, Phonolamps, Portables
A number of small upright and console
models were made for children though most were
small table models. The Diamond Juvenile
console, well crafted in simple "Mission" style, was
painted white with blue trim and had a 9-inch
turntable. Other brands were Baby, Bobolink,
Kiddiephone, and Toyphone.
Several firms manufactured phonograph
lamps. The Phonolamp was perhaps the most
amazing because of its stained glass shade. One
Modernola model was an upright phonograph with
a large lamp elevated above the cabinet. The
Lampograph was yet another brand. Several firms
manufactured phonographs with the shape and
appearance of baby grand pianos, such as the
Venus Belle, Phono-Grand and Fern-O-Grand.
Library tables with a phonograph
concealed inside were produced by Librola,
Phonographic Table, and Tabla-tone. For the latter
the phonograph was held within a pull-out drawer.
Beginning around 1916, several firms
produced portable "suitcase" models. A few, such
as the Stewart Military and the Recruit, were
originally designed for soldiers and sailors. Other
early makers of portables were Piknik, Cirola,
Melophone, Portola, and Spraytone. In the
summer of 1922 portable models were heavily
advertised as ideal for picnics, camping, and back
porch listening. The portable phonograph industry
will be discussed in detail in a future issue of V78I .
Related Products
■
Some of the 260-pl us companies produced
records. With only a few exceptions, such as
Emerson, records made before 1919 were vertical
cut. Emerson, Paramount, Rex, and Starr recorded
their own material. Pathe produced pressings for
Empire and World. The Bell Record Corporation
produced records for Schubert. Resona had record
sources from Paramount, Plaza, and Emerson.
Cardinal produced its own records until 1922
when its records came from Starr. According to
Brian Rust's The American Record Label Book,
Phonolamp issued less than a dozen recordings.
The records were not sold but included with a
Phonolamp purchase. Grey Gull was the source of
these rare discs. Arrow and Mandel also briefly
sold records. The New York Recording
Laboratories of Port Washington, Wisconsin, which
pressed Paramount discs, supplied records for
Puritan, Harmograph, and Mozart.
Firms made record cabinets in all shapes
and styles. The Schloss Brothers in New York and
the Udell Works in Indianapolis made cabinets
specifically to hold the common Victor and
Columbia table models. Some cabinets held the
phonograph exposed on top of the cabinet; the
phonograph was held within some other cabinets
and could be covered by a lid. Other record
cabinet firms were the Berkeley Cabinet Company,
Herzog Art Furniture Company, George A. Long
Cabinet Company, C. J. Lundstrom Manufacturing
Company, Pooley Furniture Company, and Value-
Tone Talking Machine Manufacturing Company.
Michigan As A Manufacturing Center
The center for cabinet production in the
United States was Michigan, especially in and
around Grand Rapids. The famous Berkey and
Gay Furniture Co. of Grand Rapids made cabinets
for the Cheney Talking Machine Company.
Cheney also made its own cabinets at another
facility in Grand Rapids. American, Art Craft,
Crescent, L'Artiste, Lauzon, and Widdicomb
phonographs were made in Grand Rapids. The
Aeolian Company had a major assembly plant on
Lyon Street. Metal parts for talking machines were
produced by the Grand Rapids Brass Company, the
Grand Rapids Foundry Company, the Otto
Heineman Phonograph Supply Company, and the
Rathbone Fireplace Manufacturing Company.
Grand Rapids held semi-annual furniture
exhibits. Several downtown buildings were used,
most notably the Gilbert and Klingman Exhibition
Buildings and the Furniture Temple. By the late
1910s the talking machine industry had taken over
Page 5
most of the exhibits, companies competing with
elaborate machine displays and demonstrations.
The Otto Heineman Company (later the General
Phonograph Corporation) turned over the first floor
of its Okeh Building to exhibits.
Other areas of Michigan produced phono-
graphs. In mid-1 91 9 the Sonora Phonograph Com-
pany opened an assembly factory in Saginaw and
even company headquarters were finally moved, in
the summer of 1927, to Saginaw. The Brunswick-
Balke-Collender Company had major facilities in
Muskegon. The Bush and Lane and Cecilaphone
phonographs were made in Holland (Michigan),
the Delpheon in Bay City, the Dulcitone in South
Haven, and the Manophone in Adrian.
Many phonograph companies had main
offices or manufacturing facilities in Chicago or
New York City.
This pie chart from TMW's June 1919 issue
represents the monthly percentages of sales in a
year. Christmas was a very important season.
Business was slow in the summer and, from the
early '20s onwards, sellers viewed these months
as good for selling portables and not much else.
The Season of Heavy Sales
H. B. Bibb, the sales manager of the
Brunswick-Balke-Col lender Company, produced a
chart for the June 1919 Talking Machine World .
Each of the twelve slices in the pie chart represents
monthly percentages of sales in a year. The chart
was prepared from data collected from all parts of
the U.S. and from merchants selling various makes
of talking machines. Nearly half of the annual
sales of talking machines were made in November
and December. Manufacturers and dealers knew
well in advance to have abundant supplies ready
for holiday sales. Because many homes had new
machines in December, January was generally
good for record sales.
Because the Christmas season was univer-
sally recognized as the year's most important sales
period, many new companies introduced models
in the autumn, in time for dealers to place orders.
If we can judge from TMW advertisements, per-
haps more new companies introduced machines in
the months of August, September and October of
1917 than during any other quarter year of the
acoustic era. Despite severe shortages in 1 918, the
autumn months of that year nearly matched those
of 1917 in the introduction of new companies.
The End Of A Boom
By mid-1920 signs of an oversold market
and a general business slow-down were evident.
On June 5, 1920, A.J. Kendrick of the Brunswick-
Balke-Col lender Co. sent a message to Brunswick
dealers: "It is quite reasonable to anticipate that
some manufacturers will shortly find themselves
seriously presented with a condition of overpro-
duction, and unless he has fortified himself against
such a period he and his dealers must inevitably
suffer when that time comes." By 1921 overpro-
duction and a business depression marked the end
of the phonograph boom and most of the 260-plus
companies were gradually forced out of business.
Some companies of the late 'teens did not
survive as late as 1920 despite booming times.
Page 6
Bankruptcies were routinely announced in TMW.
For example, a late 1917 issue announced the
auctioning of the Flemish Phonograph Co. to take
place on November 20 at 1 0:30 AM at the Flemish
factory in Brooklyn. The inventory included 2,000
"complete" phonographs and 40,000 records.
The December. 1922 TMW presents a U.S.
Department of Commerce report concluding that
total value of products of the U.S. phonograph
industry had declined 38.1 percent in 1921 from
the 1919 high (in 1919, the total was
$158,548,000; in 1921, it was $98,164,000).
Here are machines that were advertised
in Talking Machine World from August 1916 to
1923, excluding a half dozen major companies.
Dates refer to the TMW issue featuring a
machine's first TMW advertisement, which in turn
roughly indicates when a machine was first
marketed. Manufacturers were quick to advertise
in TMW all new products.
Since the August 1916 issue is the earliest
I have examined, it is possible that machines
given the date "August 1916" had been advertised
in earlier issues.
In parenthesis are dates for known
trademark applications, provided by Allan Sutton.
Not all companies registered their trademarks.
1. Adora - Adora Phonograph Company, 242 E.
Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. May 1920.
2. Alethetone - Stevens Organ and Piano Co.,
Marietta, Ohio. April 1917.
3. Ambassador - Ambassador Phonograph Co.,
Suite 300, 19 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Illinois.
October 1921.
4. American - American Phonograph Co., 111
Lyon Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan. August 1 91 7.
5. American Maid - C. John A. Woods and Son,
30 Church Street, New York. March 1918.
6. Americanola - American Talking Machine Co.,
Bloomsberg, Pennsylvania. August 1920.
7. Amerinola - Amerinola Company, 1 Vandalia
Avenue, Cincinnati Ohio. January 1920.
8. Angelus - Angelus Phonograph Co., 1249
Lexington Ave., New York City. August 1917.
(Trademark filed 5/2/1918 by Wilcox & White,
Meriden Connecticut; used since 5/15/1917.)
9. Arietta - Roundtree Corporation, Richmond,
Virginia. July 1920.
10. Armoniola - Thomas Manufacturing Co.,
Dayton, Ohio. November 1916.
11. Arrow - Arrow Phonograph Corporation, 16
West 39th Street, New York City. February 1 920.
ARTOFOLA
"The Sweetest Tone Machine"
electrically equli Efped it
desired — retailing at
only $150.
12. Art Craft Line - The Art Craft Company,
Grand Rapids, Michigan. September 1918.
1 3. Artofola - The Artofola Company, Springfield,
Illinois. October 1916.
14. Artophone - Artophone Company, 1113
Olive Street, St. Louis, Missouri. September 1916.
(Trademark filed 3/27/1916; used since 5/1915.)
15. Ashland - Ashland Manufacturing Company,
43rd and Hermitage Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
November 1916.
16. Autophone - Autophone Co., 117 Cypress
Ave., New York City, New York. February 1919.
17. Baby - Garford Manufacturing Company,
Elyria, Ohio. February 1919.
18. Beacon - Beacon Phonograph Company, 248
Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. January
1920. (Trademark filed 2/25/1920; used since
11/18/1919.)
19. Belcanto - The Belcanto Co., 130 West 42nd
Street, New York City, New York. March 1919.
20. Blandin - Racine Phonograph Company, Inc.,
Racine, Wisconsin. July 1920.
21. Blue Bird - Blue Bird Talking Machine Com-
pany, Los Angeles, California. November 1920.
22. Bobolink - A.C. Gilbert Co., 460 Blatchley
Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut. October 1921.
23. Brendonne - Brendonne Corporation, 9 Cen-
tral Ave., Newark, New Jersey. December 1920.
24. Brooks - Brooks Manufacturing Company,
Saginaw, Michigan. September 1916.
25. Bush and Lane - Bush and Lane Piano
Company, Holland, Michigan. September 1918.
Page 7
MODEL IX
26. Campbell - Campbell Industries, 36 State
Street, Chicago, Illinois. July 1920.
27. Cardinal - Cardinal Phonograph Company,
Zanesville, Ohio. September 1919. (Trademark
filed 7/10/1919 by the Art Cabinet Co., Newark,
New Jersey; used since 5/15/1919.)
28. Carmen - G. W. Huntley and Co., 25 East
Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois. December 1920.
29. Cathedral - Cathedral Phonograph Company,
Omaha, Nebraska. July 1920. (Trademark filed
1/26/1920 by the United Phonograph Corp.,
Omaha; used since 10/1/1919.)
30. Cecilaphone - Bush and Lane Piano Com-
pany, Holland, Michigan. July 1918. (Named
after Saint Cecilia, patron saint of music.)
Page 8
ENTV
Y
PHONOGRAPH
The Phonograph of ihe Century
31. Century - Century Cabinet Company, 25
West 45th Street, New York City. August 1917.
32. Ceramiphone - Smith-Phillips Music Co., East
Liverpool, Ohio. March 1920. (Features a
ceramic horn.)
41. Cleola - Tyrola Phonograph Company,
Wilmette, Illinois. January 1920.
42. Compatophone - The Sterno Manufacturing
Company, Ltd., 19 City Road, London, England.
October 1916.
43. Concertola - World Phonograph Co., 218 S.
Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. March 1917.
44. Consola - Consolidated Talking Machine
Company, 227 West Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois.
November 1917.
45. Cowan - The Classique Phonograph Corpor-
ation, 401 N. Lincoln Street, Chicago, Illinois.
October 1917.
33. Charmaphone - R. L. Kenyon Manufacturing
Company, 39 West 32nd Street, New York City,
New York. October 1918.
34. Cheney - Cheney Talking Machine Co., 24 N.
Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. March 1918.
(Trademark filed 8/30/1 91 9; used since 8/24/1 91 6.)
35. Chorister - Chorister Phonograph Co., 336
West 63rd Street, Chicago, Illinois. January 1920.
36. Cirola - Cirola Phonograph Corporation,
1227 Cermantown Avenue, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. May 1920.
37. Classique - Classique Phonograph Corpor-
ation, 410 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois. November 1917.
38. Claxtonola - Brenard Manufacturing Co.,
Iowa City, Iowa. January 1919. (Trademark filed
5/2/1919; used since 3/15/1919.)
39. Clayola - Bristol and Barber Co., Inc., 3 East
14th Street, New York City. November 1922.
40. Cleartone - The Lucky 1 3 Phonograph Co., 3
East 12th Street, New York City. September 191 7.
46. Crafts - A.J. Crafts Piano Company, Rich-
mond, Virginia. January 1920.
47. Cremonia - Cremonia Phonograph Company,
14 Wall Street, New York City. April 1919.
A Cheney model advertised in November 1918.
Page 9
TRADEMARK
48. Crescent - Crescent Talking Machine Co., 89
Chambers Street, New York City. August 1916.
(Trademark filed 8/15/1919; used since 3/1914.)
49. Crippen - The Crippen Company, Inc., 427
5th Avenue, New York City. January 1920.
(Trademark filed 12/6/1919; used since 12/1918.)
50. Crosley - Crosley Phonograph Co., 1 Vandalia
Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. February 1920.
51. Crystola - Crystola Company, Cincinnati,
Ohio. August 1917. (Has crystal tone chamber.)
52. Culptone - Culp Phonograph Company, 240
Broadway, New York City, New York. October
1918. (Trademark filed 8/16/1921 by Abraham
Culp, New York; used since 10/1918.)
53. Dalion - Milwaukee Talking Machine Manu-
facturing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
January 1920. (Trademark filed 7/30/1919; used
since 2/26/1919.)
54. Davenola - Davenport Cabinet Works, 829
W. 2nd Street, Davenport, Iowa. November 1919.
55. Deca-Disc - Deca-Disc Phonograph Co.,
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. March 1922.
56. Delpheon - The Delpheon Co., 810 Boutell
Place, Bay City, Michigan. September 1916.
(Trademark filed 8/14/1916 by Charles J. Bousfield,
Bay City, Michigan; used since 7/7/1916.)
57. Deterling - Deterling Manufacturing Co.,
Tipton, Indiana. March 1920.
58. Diamond - Diamond Products Corporation,
25 West 43rd Street, New York City. June 1922.
59. Dolce-Tone - Reed, Dawson, and Co., 6 West
Park Street, Newark, New Jersey. October 1917.
60. Domestic - Domestic Talking Machine Corp-
oration, 33rd and Arch Streets, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. August 1916. (Trademark filed
6/22/1916; used since 2/14/1916.)
61. Dulciphone - Grand Talking Machine Co.,
366 Adam Street, Brooklyn, New York. February
1917.
62. Dulcitone - Cable-Nelson Piano Co., Republic
Building, Chicago, Illinois. February 1919.
(Trademark filed 4/14/1919; used since 1/1918.)
63. Dusonto - The Belcanto Company, Inc., 130
West 42nd Street, New York City. January 1920.
(Trademark filed 5/17/1919; used since 5/6/1919.)
64. Eclipse - Eclipse Phonograph Co., 51 Law-
rence Street, Newark, New Jersey. March 1917.
65. Edmondson - Edmondson Phonograph Co.,
16 Washington Avenue, Irvington, New Jersey.
November 1916.
Page 10
66. Electric - Electric Phonograph Company,
Kalamazoo, Michigan. September 1920.
67. Elmbro - Elmbro Talking Machine Company,
St. Paul, Minnesota. April 1918.
68. Embrola - Embrola Talking Machine Co.,
Department A, St. Paul, Minnesota. January 1918.
69. Emerson - Emerson Phonograph Company,
Inc., 206 Fifth Avenue, New York City, New York.
April 1920. (Trademark filed 1 1/24/1919; used on
phonographs since 9/15/1919.)
70. Empire - Empire Talking Machine Company,
429 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
September 1916. (Trademark filed 12/20/1915;
used since 1 2/3/1 91 5; re-filed by The Udell Works,
Indianapolis, 8/7/1924.)
71 . Eubanola - Ramos-Eubank Phonograph Manu-
facturing Company, Richmond, Virginia. March
1919.
72. Eufonola - Acme Cabinet Company, 1 16 W.
32nd Street, New York City. November 1916.
73. Excel - Excel Cabinet Co., 136 West 23rd
Street, New York City, New York. February 1 920.
■
74. Favorite - Favorite Talking Machine Co., 438
Broadway, New York City. September 1916.
75. Favorola - Bon-Ton Manufacturing Co., 211
S. Broadway, St. Louis, Missouri. October 1920.
76. Fern-O-Grand - Fern-O-Grand Co., 212 West
Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio. March 1920.
77. Firestone - Firestone Phonograph Co., 59 East
van Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois. April 1919.
78. Fischer - J. and C. Fischer, Inc., 417 West
28th Street, New York City. March 1922.
(Trademark f i led 3/1 9/1 920; used since 1 1/9/1 920.)
79. Flemish - Lynn Phonograph Company, 37th
Street, Brooklyn, New York. August 1916.
80. Fraad - Fraad Talking Machine Company,
Inc., 225 Lexington Avenue, New York City, New
York. October 1916.
81. Franklin - Franklin Phonograph Company,
10th and Columbia Avenues, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. January 1920.
82. Fullertone- Fullertone Phonograph Products,
Incorporated. January 1922.
Announcing the appear-
ance of Styles F and A,
in Brown Mahogany and
Fumed Oak, of the won-
derful FULTON Phono-
graph. (Retailing at
$150.00 and $225.00
respectively.)
83. Fulton - Fulton-Alden Company, Inc.,
Waukegan, Illinois. November 191 7. (Trademark
filed 6/23/1919 by Fulton Bros. Mfg. Co.,
Waukegan; used since approximately 2/1/1917.)
84. Gabelola- Gabel's Entertainer Company, 210
North Ann St., Chicago, Illinois. December 1917.
85. Garford - The Garford Manufacturing Co.,
Elyria, Ohio. February 1919.
86. General - General Phonograph Manufacturing
Company, Elyria, Ohio. November 1921.
87. Granby - Granby Phonograph Corporation,
Levy Building, Newport News, Virginia.
December 1921.
88. Grande - Grande Phonograph Company, 25
West Lake St., Chicago, Illinois. September 1920.
89. Hallet and Davis - Hal let and Davis
Company, Boston, Massachusetts. April 1922.
90. Harmonia - Harmonia Talking Machine
Company, 47 West 34th Street, New York City,
New York. June 1920.
91 . Harmonola - The Harmonola Company, 1 61 1
Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
October 1916.
92. Harponola - The Celina Furniture Company,
101 Mercelina Park, Celina, Ohio. November
1917.
93. Harpvola - Harpvola Talking Machine Co.,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. November 1916.
94. Harrolla - King Talking Machine Company,
11 West 25th St., New York City. January 1917.
95. Hawthorn - Southern California Hardwood
and Manufacturing Company, 1 430 South Alameda
St., Los Angeles, California. September 1918.
Page 11
96. Hayne'ola - Hayne'ola Phonograph
Corporation, Ottawa, Illinois. January 1917.
97. Heintzman - Gerhard Heintzman Ltd.,
Sherborne St., Toronto, Canada. September 1919.
98. Heywood-Wakefield - Heywood Brothers and
Wakefield Company, Gardner and Wakefield,
Massachusetts. January 1920.
99. Hexaphone - The Regina Company, 47 West
34th Street, New York City. February 1917.
100. Hiawatha - Hiawatha-Ottawa Pianophone
Company, Ottawa, Illinois. May 1917.
101. Hoffay - Hoffay Talking Machine Company,
3 West 29th St., New York City. February 1919.
102. Humanatone - Humanatone Talking
Machine Company, 254 North 10th Street,
Brooklyn, New York. February 1917.
103. Humanola - Humanola Talking Machine
Company, Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. August
1917. (Trademark filed 2/29/1916 by Baldwin &
Livengood, Meyersdale; used since 3/1/1915.)
104. Ideal - United Talking Machine Company,
178 Emmet St., Newark, New Jersey. March 1917.
105. Imperial - Imperial Talking Machine
Company, 9 Vandever Avenue Wilmington,
Delaware. January 1917.
106. Independent- Independent Talking Machine
Company, Inc., 12 East 42nd Street, New York
City, New York. November 1919.
107. International ~ International Talking
Machine Company, 1719 West Van Buren Street,
Chicago, Illinois. August 1916.
108. Interpretone - Crippen Company, New York
City, New York. April 1920.
Page 12
109. Jewett - Jewett Phonograph Company, 958
Penobscot Building, Detroit, Michigan. July 1921.
110 Kamp-Fone - Kamp-Fone Health Builders,
Inc., 334 5th Avenue, New York City, New York.
April 1923.
111. Kiddiephone - The Wilkins Toy Company,
Keene, New Hampshire. January 1917.
112. Kimball - W. W. Kimball Company, Kimball
Building, Chicago, Illinois. May 1920. (Trademark
filed 2/5/1918; used since 1/15/1918.)
113. Ko-Hi-Ola - Koehler and Hinrichs, St. Paul,
Minnesota. November 1916.
114. Koch-O-Phone - Ands Koch, 296 Broadway,
New York City, New York. May 1917.
AND 8 KOCH
115. Lakeside - Lakeside Supply Company, 416
South Dearborn St., Chicago, Illinois. April 1920.
116. Lampograph - Frank H. Feraud, 1911 State
Street, Granite City, Illinois. December 1918.
117. L'Artiste - Grand Rapids Phonograph
Company, 1400 Front Avenue, Grand Rapids,
Michigan. May 1919. (Trademark filed 8/4/1919
by Grand Rapids School Equipment Co., Grand
Rapids; used since 7/21/1919.)
118. Lauzon - Michigan Phonograph Company,
705 Ashton Building, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
February 1919.
119. Lawson - Lawson Piano Company, 372 East
149th Street, New York City. January 1920.
120. Liberty - Liberty Phonograph Co., 313 Wil-
mac Building, Minneapolis, Minnesota. June 1918.
121. Librola - Seaburg Manufacturing Company,
Jamestown, New York. April 1920.
*
122. Linerphone - Linerphone Talking Machine
Company, 1801 Nebraska Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois. October 1918.
123. Lone-Star - Texas Talking Machine
Company, Dallas, Texas. November 1921.
124. Lorophone - Lorimer-Hicks Manufacturing
Company, Republic Building, Chicago, Illinois.
February 1917. (Trademark filed 7/10/1916 from
Troy, Ohio; used since 9/15/1915.)
125. Ludlow -A.J. Crafts Piano Company, 218 N.
2nd Street, Richmond, Virginia. November 1919.
126. Lynertone - Lynertone Talking Machine Co.,
18 West 20th St., New York City. October 1919.
127. Lyradion - Lyradion Sales and Engineering
Company, Mishawaka, Indiana.
1 28. Lyreola - Lyre-Ola Manufacturing Company,
1504 Pine Street, St. Louis, Missouri. April 1920.
129. Lyrian - Lyrian Phonograph Company, 621
Main Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. November 1916.
130. Maestro - Lanski Company, 1414 south
Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. April 1920.
131. Maestrola - Sound Reproduction Company,
Inc., 56 Liberty Street, New York City, New York.
September 1916. (Trademark filed 5/20/1916;
used since 5/1/1916.)
1 32. Mag-Ni-Phone - Charles W. Shonk Co., 707
St. Charles Street, Maywood, Illinois. October
1916.
133. Magnola - Magnola Talking Machine
Company, 711 Milwauke Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois. September 1916.
134. Majestic - Majestic Phonograph Company,
McClure Building, 218 South Wabash Avenue,
Chicago, Illinois. August 1916. (Trademark filed
4/28/1916; used since approximately 2/1/1916.)
Page 13
135. Mandel - Mandel Manufacturing Company,
501 Laflin Street, Chicago, Illinois. August 1916.
(Trademark filed 5/3/1919; used since 11/1915.)
136. Manophone - James Manoil Company, Inc.,
60 Broadway, New York City. August 1916.
(Trademark filed 7/25/1 91 6; used since 7/1 5/1 91 6.)
137. Marvelon - Marvelon Phonograph Co., 508
Arcade Building, St. Louis, Missouri. March 1920.
138. Marveola - Weser Brothers, 524 West 23rd
Street, New York City, New York. January 1920.
1 39. Mascot - Mascot Talking Machine Company,
66 West 37th Street, New York City. August 1916.
140. Mastertone - Iroquois Sales Corporation, 10
N. Division St., Buffalo, New York. March 1920.
The Magnola trademark seems to have been
inspired by Victor's. Instead of a cute dog
puzzled by a recognized voice coming from a
machine, a cute girl is "watching the music come
out.* 1 The surreal drawing of a machine in a
woman's mouth (above) is also for the Magnola.
■
Page 14
141. Mel low! one - Melophone Talking Machine
Company, 376 Lafayette Street, New York City,
New York. August 1916.
142. Melodia - Melodia Phonograph Co., 400 N.
Sangamon Street, Chicago, Illinois. February 1 920.
(Trademark filed 4/5/1920; used since 7/5/1919.)
143. Melodograph - Melodograph Corporation,
142 W. 14th St., New York City. November 1916.
(Trademark filed 1 0/1 9/1916; used since 6/1/1 916.)
144. Melody -Melody National Sales Co., 190 N.
State Street, Chicago, Illinois. November 1922.
145. Melophone - Melophone Talking Machine
Company, 376 Lafayette Street, New York City,
New York. November 1916.
146. Meteor - Meteor Motor Car Company,
Piqua, Ohio. May 1917.
147. Metro - Metro Phonograph Company, 55
Vesey Street, New York City. September 1919.
148. Metrophone - Franz Bruckner Manufacturing
Company, 405 Broadway, New York City, New
York. October 1916. (Mills Novelty Co., Chicago,
filed a trademark on Metrophone in 5/1917; it is
not certain that these are the same.)
149. Mockingbird - Edwin M. Wright, Manteno,
Illinois. January 1920.
150. Modernola - Modernola Co., Johnstown,
Pennsylvania. January 1920. (Trademark filed
11/8/1918; used since 8/5/1918; re-filed by The
Modernola Co., Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
7/14/1923.)
151. Morenus - Morenus Piano Co., 341 West
Superior Street, Chicago, Illinois. February 1918.
152. Mozart -Mozart Talking Machine Co., 1432
N. 20th Street, St. Louis, Missouri. October 1916.
153. Munola - The Munzer Manufacturing
Corporation, 307 South 6th Avenue, Minneapolis,
Minnesota. November 191 7.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR
GOOD
AND PROSPEROUS PORTABLE SEASON
Retail Price $35.00
If so, why not try the Moderno-
lette? There was a big demand
for this Portable last year. There
will be a larger one this year.
or
We have some open territory.
It is worth your attention. Don't
wait until it's all gone. Write
now.
MODERNOLA COMPANY
Johnstown, Pa.
A few portable models were introduced during WWI, but the industry did not push portables
seriously until the summer of 1922. V78I will soon tell the story of the portable machine industry.
Page 15
154. Musicola - Musicola Talking Machine
Company, 242 Knickerbocker Avenue, Brooklyn,
New York. March 1920.
1 55. Mutual - Mutual Talking Machine Company,
Inc., 145 West 45th Street, New York City, New
York. August 1916.
156. National Bluebird - National Talking
Machine Company, 118 East 28th Street, New
York City, New York. August 1916.
157. Natural Voice - Natural Voice Phonograph
Company, Oneida, New York. January 1920.
158. Newman Brothers - Newman Brothers
Company, 410 South Michigan Blvd., Chicago,
Illinois. April 1920.
159. Nightingale - Nightingale Manufacturing
Company, 422 North Armour Street, Chicago,
Illinois. June 1918. (Trademark filed 3/25/1918;
used since 11/1/1916.)
160. Olympian - Cole and Dunas Music Co., 54
West Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois. January 1920.
(Trademark filed 8/6/1920; used since 10/1/1918.)
1 61 . Onken - Oscar Onken Company, Cincinnati,
Ohio. January 1920.
1 62. Operollo - Operollo Phonograph Company,
Inc., 420 Lightner Building, Detroit, Michigan.
March 1917. (Trademark filed 1/4/191 7 by Arthur
Silwiersky, assignor to Operollo Phonograph Co.;
used since 10/20/1916.)
163. Oranola - Perfection Talking Machine
Company, Inc., 129 De Graw Street, Brooklyn,
New York. August 1919. (Trademark filed
8/15/1919; used since 8/6/1919.)
164. Oriola - Metropolis Sales Company, 27
Union Square, New York City, New York. April
1 91 7. (Mutual Trading Co., New York, filed appli-
cations on Oriola on 10/5/1918 and 8/23/1920,
with used claimed since 1/1 5/1 91 8; relation to this
brand is unclear.)
165. Oro-Tone - The Oro-Tone Company, 1000
George Street, Chicago, Illinois. June 1922.
166. Orsenigo - Orsenigo Company, Inc., 110
West 42nd Street, New York City. February 1922.
-
167. Oxford - The Mundler Corporation, 1123
Broadway, New York City. December 1920.
168. Pal - Plaza Music Company, 18 West 20th
Street, New York City, New York. June 1922.
169. Paramount - Paramount Talking Machine
Company, Port Washington, Wisconsin. February
1920. (Trademark filed 11/5/1917 by United
Phonographs Corp., Port Washington; used since
10/20/1917.)
170. Parlephone - E.E. Tower, St. Joseph,
Missouri. April 1919.
171. Peerless- Republic Phonograph Co., 18 E.
Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Illinois. February 1917.
172. Perfectrola - Milwaukee Talking Machine
Manufacturing Company, 416 4th Street,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. October 1918.
(Trademark filed 2/21/1 916; used since 1/1 7/1916.)
1 73. Phoenix - Phoenix Phonograph Company,
2504 West Van Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois.
August 1919.
1 74. Phon d'Amor - Fritzsch Phonograph Co., 228
W. 7th St., Cincinnati, Ohio. November 1917.
(Trademark filed 7/2/1917; used since 6/2/1917.)
1 75. Phono-Grand - J. P. Seeburg Piano Company,
Republic Building, Chicago, Illinois. November
1917. (Trademark filed 10/1/1917 by Justus P.
Seeburg, Chicago; used since 7/1/1917.)
Page 16
Phon d 'Amour
SWEETEST OF SINGERS
Its very name suggests Songs of Love
Why?
Bernhard Fritzsch invented this
Soulful Musical Instrument
THE Phon d'Amour has a patented wooden dia-
phragm, (not a metal one), sound amplifier and repro-
ducer. This gives the true tone and pitch, exquisite
as a master's sweep over the strings of a Strad, beautifully
perfect as God's rainbow.
The Phon d'Amour
il the achievement of a genius.
It reproduce* ihe human voice ex*
•ctly, perfectly and sympathetically;
(he piano, violin, cello, viola, harp,
flute, oboe, clarinet, faggott, born
trumpet, piston, trombone, tuba,
tympani, percussion.
Became the Phon d'Amour it the
invention of a matter mind of har-
mony who knew how.
The Phon d'Amour It not an awe m bled
instrument; the Improvement* end feature*
embodied In Phon d'Amour are patented and
procurable] in uo other loirument.
Thil superb Instrument plays til records
ot whatever mike.
<w»rl«hi IH> ■»
rti. t riusch rhanmcrmpt Co
The Fritzsch Phonograph Co.
228-K30 W S-.vor.th St Cincinnati. Ohio
SALESROOM, No. 124 WEST FOURTH STREET
181. Player-Tone - Player Tone Talking Machine
Company, 967 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. March 1920.
1 82. Playonola - Playonola Talking Machine Co.,
1210 3rd St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. May 1920.
183. Plymouth - Plymouth Phonograph Co.,
Plymouth, Wisconsin. June 1921.
184. Pooley - Pooley Furniture Company, Inc.,
16th Street and Indiana Avenue, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. June 1916.
185. Portola - Portable Phonograph Co., Reserve
Bank Building, Kansas City, Missouri. February
1920. (Trademark filed 10/11/1919 by Carroll E.
Dodson, Kansas City; used since 10/1/1919.)
1 86. Portophone - The Tri Sales Co., 616 Victoria
Building, St. Louis, Missouri. December 1920.
187. Premier - Premier Cabinet Company,
Williamsport, Pennsylvania. August 1916.
(Trademark filed 6/20/1 91 6; used since 5/22/1 916.)
176. Phonographic Table - Phonographic Table
Co., 25 W. 32nd St., New York City. March 1 91 7.
177. Phonola - Caloric Sales Company, 1381
Continental and Commercial Bank Building,
Chicago, Illinois. October 1916.
188. Prima-Donna - General Sales Corporation,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. May 1920.
189. Puritan - United Phonographs Corporation,
Sheboygan, Wisconsin. April 1918. (Trademark
filed 1/15/1917; used since 10/1/1916.)
1 78. Phonolamp ~ Electric Phonograph Company,
29 West 34th Street, New York City. August 1 916.
(Trademark filed 4/24/1918; use claimed,
obviously in error, since approximately 4/1/1918.)
179. Piknik - Piknik Portable Phonograph, Inc.,
Lakewood, New Jersey. November 1920.
180. Playerphone- Playerphone Talking Machine
Company, 802 Republic Building, Chicago, Illinois.
August 1916. (Trademark filed 4/7/1916; used
since 10/23/1915.)
1 90. Qualitiphone - Qualitiphone Sales Corpora-
tion, 1 7 East 42nd Street, New York City. March
1922. (Trademark filed 2/24/1922 by
Qualitiphone, Inc., New York; used since
12/15/1921.)
191. Ramosola - Ramos-Eubank Phonograph
Manufacturing Company, Richmond, Virginia.
March 1919.
192. Re-Call - The Huss Brothers Phonograph and
Piano Company, 6 West Canal Blvd., Cincinnati,
Page 17
Ohio. January 1920. (Trademark filed 9/29/1919;
used since 6/1/1919.)
193. Recordion - Columbia Mantel Company,
Leonard and Devoe Streets, Brooklyn, New York.
November 1916. (Trademark filed 4/26/1919;
used since 1/1917.)
1 94. Recruit - Thornell-Manton, The Havermeyer
Building at Courtland, Church, and Day Streets,
New York City, New York. May 1918.
195. Reginaphone - The Regina Company, 47
West 34th Street, New York City, New York. May
1918.
196. Remington - Remington Phonograph
Corporation, 1662 Broadway, New York City, New
York. June 1920. (Trademark filed 7/20/1920;
used since 5/5/1920.)
197. Republic - Republic Phonograph Co., 18 East
Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Illinois. February 1917.
198. Retola - Ausonia Reed Furniture Company,
844 Gerard Avenue, New York City, New York.
October 1 920.
199. Rishell - Rishell Phonograph Company,
Williamsport, Pennsylvania. September 1916. (A
related company with a slightly different spelling—
Rishel-is still in business in Williamsport.)
200. Riviera - Riviera Talking Machine Company,
848 Eastman Street, Chicago, Illinois. March 1919.
201. Robinola - Robinola Talking Machine Co.,
119 East 5th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. June 1917.
(The Robinola Phonograph Co., St. Louis, filed a
trademark application on Robinola on 6/17/1920;
its relation to this brand is not known.)
202. Robinson - Robinson Phonograph Corpora-
tion, 2702 South Alameda Street, Los Angeles,
California. August 1921.
203. Ross - Ross Talking Machine Company,
22nd Street and Glenwood Avenue, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. February 1920
204. Royal - Royal Phonograph Company, Inc.,
606 Courtland Ave., New York City. November
1919.
205. Savoy - Savoy Gramophone Company, 530
Cherry Street, New York City. September 1916.
206. Saxola - Sachs and Company, 425 South
Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. May 1919.
207. Schubert - Bell Talking Machine
Corporation, 1 West 139th Street, New York City,
New York. August 1917. (Trademark filed
7/7/1917; used since 6/25/1917.)
208. Shell-O-Phone - Shell-O-Phone Talking
Machine Company, North American Building,
Chicago, Illinois. October 1918. (No trademark
application; patent application filed 9/6/1 91 9 for a
phonograph using a conch shell for a horn.)
209. Silvertone - Crescent Talking Machine
Company, 89 Chamber Street, New York City,
New York. February 1917. (No trademark
application; no relation to the Sears brand.)
-
210. Singaphone - Singaphone Talking Machine
Company, Inc., 32 Union Square, New York City,
New York. February 1917
211. Singerphone - The Singerphone Company,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. June 1920.
212. Solophone - The Solophone Co., 306 Sussex
Street, Harrison, New Jersey. October 1916.
213. Solotone- Solotone Talking Machines, Lititz,
Pennsylvania. February 1919. (Hallett & Davis
Piano Co., Boston, filed a tardemark application on
Solophone on 1/1 7/1 91 6; the relation to this brand
is unknown.)
Page 18
214. Sonata - Kesner and Jerlaw, 41 West 34th
Street, New York City, New York. February 1920.
(Trademark filed 10/8/1919; used since 7/1/1919.)
215. Sona-Tone - Sona-Tone Phonograph Inc.,
3421 Broadway, New York City. April 1918.
216. Spraytone - CD. M. Trading Company, 109
Lafayette Street, New York City. May 1922.
217. Starr - Starr Piano Co., Richmond, Indiana.
October 1916. (Trademark filed 6/27/1917,
1/29/1921, and 7/2/1924; first-use claim of
1/1/1907 applies to pianos, not phonographs.)
221. Sterling - Sterling Phonograph Co., 285 N.
6th Street, Brooklyn, New York. October 1917.
222. Stewart - Stewart Phonograph Corporation,
2827 Lincoln Street, Chicago, Illinois. November
1916. (Trademark filed 5/13/1916; used since
2/15/1916.)
223. Stodart- Stodart Phonograph Company, 100
Southern Blvd, New York City. June 1919.
224. Stradivara - The Compton-Price Company,
Coshocton, Ohio. September 1916. (Trademark
filed 6/28/1916; used since 4/20/1916.)
218. Steger - Steger and Sons Piano Manu-
facturing Company, Wabash and Jackson Streets,
Chicago, Illinois. January 1919.
219. Steinburn - Stein-Burn Corporation, Hey-
worth Building, Madison and Wabash, Chicago,
inois. July 1919.
220. Steinola - The Steinola Co., 1 221 West Lake
Street, Chicago, Illinois. February 1917. (Trade-
mark filed 3/10/1917; used since 3/1916.)
225. Strand - Manufacturers Phonograph Co.,
New York City, New York. November 1921.
(Trademark filed 3/15/1924; used since 1/1921.)
226. Strickier - Strickler Manufacturing Company,
434 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
September 1919.
227. Supertone - Supertone Talking Machine Co.,
1 West 20th Street, New York City. August 1916.
(Trademark filed 2/9/1920; used since 3/1916).
RADIVARA
KNOWN FOR TONE
THE MASTER
Instrument of the 20th
Century
Compare all other makes of present-day ^=
phonographs with the Stradivara and you
will easily learn why it is marvelously
superior.
Stradivara is made complete in ONE FACTORY.
Not assembled in furniture factories
It is the only phonograph in the world that contains a
spruce sound board, being built on the principle of the
piano and violin. This high-grade phonograph truly
reflects the genius of the world's greatest violin maker.
7 MODELS FROM $45 TO $225
Special Notice
The Toyphone
228. Supreme - Superior Phonograph Co., 320 S.
Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. January 1920.
229. Swanson - Swanson Sales Company, 308 W.
Ontario Street, Chicago, Illinois. October 1922.
230. Tablatone - DeRivas and Harris Manufac-
turing Company, 135th Street at Willow Avenue,
New York City, New York. August 1919.
231. Tel-O-Tone - Western News Company, 21
East Austin Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. August
1918. (Trademark filed 8/11/1919, assigned by
Western News Co. to Tel-O-Tone Phonograph Co.,
Chicago; used since 6/1/1917.)
232. The Lucky 13 - The Lucky 13 Phonograph
Company, 3 East 12th Street, New York City.
September 1916.
233. Tiffany - Tiffany Phonograph Sales Co.,
1404 East 9th St., Cleveland, Ohio. October 1 921 .
234. Ton-O-Graf - Ton-O-Graf Corporation, 112
East South Water Street, Chicago, Illinois. October
1917. (Trademark filed 7/3/1917 by Ivan P.
Florsheim, Chicago; used since 6/1/1917.)
235. Tonkola - William Tonk and Brother, 36th
Street at 10th Ave., New York City. March 1918.
Page 19
236. Tonola - Tonola Phonograph Company, 1 1
South 7th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota. May
1917. (Trademark filed 3/24/1916 by Louis A.
Priess, Minneapolis; used since 8/1/1915.)
237. Toyphone - Toyphone and Woodware
Manufacturers, Inc., 130 West 18th Street, New
York City. January 1917.
238. Triton - Triton Phonograph Co., 137 Fifth
Avenue, New York. November 1916. (Trademark
filed 8/13/1914; used since 1/1914.)
239. United - United Talking Machine Co., 178
Emmet St., Newark, New Jersey. November 1916.
240. Usona - Usona Talking Machine Company,
1977 Ogden Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. July 1919.
241. Valuphone - Wizard Phonograph Co., Inc.,
1977 Ogden Ave., Chicago, Illinois. March 1922.
242. Vanophone - Garfield Manufacturing Co.,
Elyria, Ohio. August 1918. (Vanophone Company
of New York filed a trademark application on
Vanophone on 4/21/1915; relation unknown.)
-
Page 20
New Valuable Selling Points
MAKE THE
WONDER
TALKING MACHINE
the biggest value, the most satisfaction giving and the
easiest selling phonograph on the market.
1. Noiseless Worm Gear Motor, Absolutely quiet
2. Die-Cast Tone Arm, removed by a simple turn.
3. Universal Sound Box, plays any style record. . .
4. Double Spring Motor, can play two 12-in. records on one
winding.
5. Cabinet Stand— Beautifully designed, at astonishingly low
prices.
NOISELESS
MOTOR
D/E CAST K S0UN » MX J M»IBHUNG]
JONWrm /V y\ MOTOR
WONDER TALKING MACHINES, $6.00 to $25.00
WONDER CABINET STANDS $5.00 to $7.00
Write for descriptive folder, advertising material
and special dealers' proposition
WONDER TALKING MACHINE CO.
113-119 FOURTH AVENUE, at 12th Street NEW YORK
Telephones: Stuyvesant 1666, 1667. 1668
'WONDER'
CABINET
STAND
1=
243. Venus Belle - Venus Company, 717 South
Wells Street, Chicago Illinois. March 1920.
244. Verdiola - Illinois Talking Machine Co., 56
West Washington St., Chicago, Illinois. July 1918.
245. Veritone - Veritone Talking Machine Co.,
145 West 45th St., New York City. August 1918.
249. Vit - The Vit Talking Machine Company,
123 West Madison Street, Suite 412, Chicago,
inois. March 1920.
250. Vitanola - Vitanola Talking Machine
Company, 208 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois. November 1916. (Trademark filed
2/18/1915; used since 2/15/1915.)
246. Virginia - W. P. Mertens Co., 107 W. Main
Street, Charlottesville, Virginia. October 1919.
247. Virtuoso - Republic Phonograph Co., 18
East Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Illinois. January 1917.
(Trademark filed 1/31/1917; used since 11/1916.)
248. Vista - Vista Talking Machine Company, The
Wisconsin Chair Company, Port Washington,
Wisconsin. August 1919.
251. Waddell - The Music Table Company,
Greenfield, Ohio. April 1920.
252. Waderola - Wade Talking Machine Co., 12
North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. March
1920.
253. Watrola - Wartell Phonograph Company,
178 West Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois.
October 1919.
Page 21
254. Wegman - Wegman Talking Machine
Company, 47 S. Clinton Avenue, Rochester, New
York. October 1918.
255. Weser - Weser Brothers, Inc., 520 West
43rd Street, New York City, New York. August
1917. (Trademark filed 4/16/1921; use claimed,
obviously incorrectly, since 2/18/1921.)
256. Westrola - The Wesley Company, Chicago,
inois. June 1920.
257. Widdicomb - Widdicomb Furniture
Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. December
1917.
258. Wilson - Thomas E. Wilson and Company,
Chicago, Illinois. October 1917.
259. Windsor - The Windsor Furniture Co., 1420
Carroll Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. October 1918.
260. Wolf - Wolf Manufacturing Industries,
Quincy, Illinois. October 1921.
261. Wonder - Wonder Talking Machine Co.,
1 1 3 4th Avenue, New York City. November 1 91 6.
262. World ~ World Phonograph Co., 218 South
Wabash Ave., Chicago, Illinois. September 1917.
263. Yale ~ Davis Sales and Manufacturing
Company, 763 State Street, New Haven,
Connecticut. September 1923.
Special thanks to Allan Sutton for supplying dates
of trademark applications.
You Want Phonograph
Profits, Mr. Merchant
—and the line that captivated the critics at the National Music Show. You
want the handsomest Phonographs ever built; equipped with the most silent,
repair-proof motor. The "WORLD PHONOGRAPH" has the most refined
high-power, noiseless, double-spring motor ever invented. It is mounted on a
tilting motor board. You cannot detect even the slightest sound when it is
running. Brought to -highest efficiency in the "World." This motor perfec-
tion is your guarantee against repair department expense.
Let the
biggest, most profitable
your city. The beautiful
of that master designer,
World universal tone arm plays all
records. World automatic stop works
perfectly every time. World tone
chamber of finest time seasoned spruce.
World tone modulator gives you the
keen pleasure of putting your own per-
sonality in the music. World auto-
matic cover support is another supe-
rior delight. The World plays eight
10-inch records without rewinding.
help you build the
phonograph business in
cabinets are the creations
Maurice Hebert.
Sold direct to dealers. You make
the jobber's profit.
Illustration shows Model A, genuine
mahogany, gold plated trimmings.
Retail price $200. Other models in
solid mahogany and art-craft reed,
$125 to $175.
Write for exclusive dealer proposi-
tion.
Wotlb $f)onograpf) Co.
Dept. D.
218 South Wabaih Avenue CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Papa Charlie Jackson
By Jas Obrecht
Launching his recording career in 1924,
Papa Charlie Jackson was the first commercially
successful male blues singer. A relaxed, confident
crooner and seasoned 6-string stylist, he became
one of Paramount's more popular artists, with 33
discs by 1 930. His classic versions of "Salty Dog,"
"Shake That Thing," "Alabama Bound" and "Spoon-
ful" set the template for many covers that followed.
Even during his prime, Papa Charlie's old-
time approach must have seemed an anachronism.
But as with Jim Jackson, Gus Cannon, Charley
Patton, Henry Thomas, Lead Belly and others born
in the 1880s or earlier, his non-blues records
struck a resonant chord among listeners and
provide us with an aural passport to African
American music before the turn of the century.
Playing fingerstyle or with a flatpick, Papa
Charlie conjured a strong, staccato attack on his
big guitar-banjo. His unstoppable rhythms were
perfectly suited for dancing, and along with his
label mate Blind Lemon Jefferson, he was one of
the first bluesmen to flatpick solos on record.
Jackson had a special affinity with ragtime
and minstrel fare, and it's likely he toured with
medicine and minstrel shows before World War I.
By the early 1 920s, he was reportedly giving guitar
lessons, working clubs and playing for tips along
Chicago's Maxwell Street, where he probably
played ragtime. Composer Thomas A. Dorsey,
who recorded blues as Georgia Tom, explained to
Living Blues that when he arrived in Chicago in
1919, "There wasn't much blues then. It was
ragtime. Ragtime. See, you didn't have the blues
singers. The blues wasn't recognized much until
the blues singers got a break, till they got a chance
[to record], see. And then the blues began to
spread. Blues singers came in by the score. They
had had them before, but they had no place to
sing them, to exhibit what they had. And when
they started to making these records of blues
singers, that's all we needed-the piano players and
the musicians and all."
The Paramount Book of Blues, a strangely
punctuated promotional booklet from the 1920s,
presented this insight into Papa Charlie Jackson:
From the ancient-historical city of New
Orleans, came Charlie jackson-a witty-cheerful-
kind hearted man-who, with his joyous sounding
voice and his banjo, sang and strummed his way
into the hearts of thousands of people. When he
first contracted to sing and play for Paramount-
many pessimistic persons laughed, and said they
were certain no one wanted to hear comedy songs
sung by a man strumming a banjo. But it wasn't
long before they realized how wrong they were.
Charlie and his records took the entire country by
storm, and now-people like nothing better than to
come home after a tiring and busy day and play
his records. His hearty voice and gay, harmonious
strumming on the banjo, causes their cares and
worries to dwindle away, and gives them a careful
frame of mind, and makes life one sweet song.
Decked in a fashionable three-piece suit,
Papa Charlie stared calmly into the lens for the
promotional photograph accompanying the write-
up. An inscrutable, serious-looking man with a
dimpled chin and long, tapering fingers, he held
an unusual 6-string guitar-banjo. Norman Blake,
the esteemed bluegrass flatpicker, describes the
instrument: "Papa Charlie's holding a Gibson GB,
for 'guitar-banjo,' and I have one from 1921. This
particular model is a very primitive open-back with
a huge 14-inch head-l call mine 'Goliath.' It has
a regular old-style Gibson laminated guitar neck
with sort of moccasin-type headstock rather than
the snake-head variety. The three-on-a-plate tuners
are like those on the old Gibson guitars, and it also
has a short trapeze-type tailpiece and a white
ivoroid pickguard that mounts and slides on a rod.
"The instrument is soft-sounding compared
to what you generally think of as being in the
banjo family. This is probably because the sound
Page 23
is spread out by that big head. When Papa Charlie
just strums rhythm chords on some things, he gets
kind of a funky, sloshy sound, and I like his
general looseness." Despite labels and ads listing
him as playing ukulele or "blues banjo," Jackson
usually recorded with his guitar-banjo or a
standard acoustic guitar.
The Paramount Book of Blues also
included sheet music with vocal and piano lines
and inaccurate lyric transcriptions for a few of his
songs. "Shake That Thing," "Salty Dog" and
"Alabama Bound" listed Charlie Jackson as the
songwriter, while "Up the Way Bound" was
co-credited to Lillian Brown.
Most of Jackson's sessions were held in
Chicago. He made his first recordings, "Papa's
Lawdy Lawdy Blues" and "Airy Man Blues," circa
August 1 924. His guitar-banjo in standard A = 440
guitar tuning, Papa Charlie played his debut
selection in the key of E. Despite its title, winsome
humming, and plaintive refrains of "Lordy Lord,
Lordy Lord, Lawd, Lawd, Lawd," the tune is more
of an eight-bar vaudeville number than a traditional
blues. Fast, danceable, and expertly fingerpicked,
his second selection mixed eight- and twelve-bar
structures and is a direct ancestor of Taj Mahal's
"Fishin' Blues." The song's lyrics, which mention
Chicago's State Street, suggest that the record's title
should probably have been "Hairy Man Blues."
Paramount announced the release with an
August 23, 1924, ad in the Chicago Defender, a
Chicago-based African-American newspaper that
was carried coast-to-coast by railroad porters.
"Well, Sir," read the copy, "here he is at last! Papa
Charlie Jackson-the famous blues-singing-guitar-
playing man." Promoting Papa Charlie's "Original
Lawdy, Lawdy Blues," No. 12219, the ad went on
to incorrectly proclaim Jackson the "only man
living who sings, self-accompanied, for blues
records." Five months earlier, during a field trip in
Atlanta, Okeh's Ralph Peer had recorded Ed
Andrews, a rough-hewn country bluesman who
accompanied himself on guitar. Two months later,
Johnny Watson recorded as Daddy Stovepipe,
accompanying himself on a guitar and harmonica
at a Gennett session in Richmond, Indiana. A few
days after that, Cincinnati's Sam Jones, a
one-man-band who called himself Stovepipe No.
1, also recorded in Richmond.
The first Papa Charlie Jackson ad also
assured readers "that this man Charlie can sing and
play the blues even better than a woman can."
Meanwhile, the fine print listed titles by Ida Cox,
Trixie Smith, Anna Lee Chisholm and Ma Rainey.
Warm and humorous, Papa Charlie's
follow-up release, the ragtimey, eight-bar "Salty
Dog Blues," made him a recording star. The song
conveyed the sly perspective of an "outside man":
"Now, the scaredest I ever been in my life
Uncle Bud like to caught me kissin' his wife,
Salty dog, you salty dog ..."
As the recording progressed, Jackson's
chugging banjo rhythm sped up, perhaps the result
of natural excitement or an engineer's nod that
time was running out. On No. 12236's flip side,
"Salt Lake City Blues," Papa Charlie's capped his
first recording of a standard 12-bar blues with a
lovely solo. The 78 was also issued by Broadway.
f Paramount
RECORDED
Vocal
Banjo Acc.
r _/ ELECTRICALLY
I 12602-A
L m
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Y% I'm Looking For A Woman
\Sb Who Knows How To
\k Treat Me Right
k .^fe^ Charlie Jackson
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Page 24
In his liners to Document's Papa Charlie
lackson. Vol . J_, Chris Smith points out that three
different take indications exist in the wax of
surviving copies of "Salty Dog Blues," but "they are
in fact identical, like all the 'alternate' takes that
could be examined for this CD, suggesting that
repressing from the original master is indicated,
rather than the use of different takes."
Old-time New Orleans musicians from
Buddy Bolden's era recalled hearing far filthier
versions of "Salty Dog Blues" long before Papa
Charlie's recording. In May '26 Clara Smith
recorded an inoffensive version of "Salty Dog
Blues" for Columbia. In July, Papa Charlie made
a great band version with Freddie Keppard's Jazz
Cardinals featuring Johnny Dodds on clarinet. The
session may have been a reunion of sorts, since
Keppard, Dodds and Jackson all hailed from New
Orleans. The performance concluded with a
rousing "Papa Charlie done sung that song!"
In 1927, Opry star Kirk McGee did close
covers of "Salty Dog Blues and "Salt Lake City
Blues" on Vocal ion 51 50. "It was natural that Sam
and Kirk McGhee, who used to play with Uncle
Dave Macon back in the old days, were borrowing
some of Papa Charlie's stuff," says Norman Blake.
"Because Papa Charlie flatpicked, he crossed the
line towards hillbilly or country. He recorded
during that good era when there wasn't exactly a
distinction between black and white music and the
musicians all kind of sounded the same when they
played the mandolin, banjos and fiddles. It was
like that with the Allen Brothers, who were white
and recording on Victor and Columbia. When
they got classified into the race series with some of
their records back in the early days, they tried to
sue the record company. They wanted to get on
the vaudeville circuit, and they felt that
classification would hurt them." (Guitarist/kazooist
Lee Allen and his banjo-picking brother Austin
made more than two dozen Victor discs, many in
the 23000 series.)
Jackson's unusual guitar-banjo sound
brought him session work backing other blues
artists. It's believed he accompanied the warm and
soulful Lottie Beaman on the October '24
Paramount session for "Mama Can't Lose" with
Jimmy Blythe on piano. A Silvertone version also
came out credited to Jennie Brooks. During April
'25 Jackson joined Ida Cox on her two-part "Mister
Man," playing guitar-banjo and adding vocals.
Jackson rejoined the diva in September for "How
Long Daddy, How Long," playing sparse, quickly
damped accompaniment to her elegant voice.
At the first of his own 1925 sessions, Jack-
son reworked his "Lordy Lawd" motif in "The Cat
Got the Measles," a Murphy-Smiley composition
that gathered traditional verses, and injected a low-
register guitar-banjo solo into "I Got What It Takes
but It Breaks My Heart to Give It Away."
Jackson's follow-up session in February
produced a memorable cover of the eight-bar
"Shave 'Em Dry," which had already been
recorded by Ma Rainey, backed with his original
"Coffee Pot Blues," which was set to the familiar
"Sliding Delta" melody. While not nearly as
salaciously funny as the novelty version recorded
a decade later by Lucille Bogan, whom he knew,
Jackson's "Shave 'Em Dry" did hint of the risque:
"Now just one thing, can't understand,
Why a bow-legged woman likes a knock-kneed
man
Mama can I holler, Daddy won't you shave 'em
dry"
In May '25, Papa Charlie Jackson struck
pay dirt with Paramount 12281, "Shake That
ThingVThe Faking Blues." Decades later, Thomas
A. Dorsey credited the infectious "Shake That
Thing" with inaugurating hokum. After a novel
stop-time solo, Jackson sang:
"Now Grandpa Johnson grabbed sister Kate
He shook her just like you shake the jelly from a
plate
You gonna shake that thing,
Aw, shake that thing,
I'm getting sick and tired of telling you to shake
that thing"
Page 25
The success of Jackson's "Salty Dog Blues"
and "Shake That Thing" reportedly convinced
Mayo Williams to scout and record Blind Lemon
Jefferson, Blind Blake and other bluesmen. By
year's end, "Shake That Thing" had been covered
by Eva Taylor for Okeh and Ethel Waters for
Columbia. Within a few months, there were new
versions out by Viola McCoy on Vocalion and a
pair of back-to-back releases by Jackson's label
mates Viola Bartlette and Jimmie Bryant's Famous
Original Washboard Band.
Jackson kept churning out records, usually
producing one 78 per session. Around May '25
Papa Charlie and a talented unknown second
banjoist recorded his sprightly "I'm Alabama
Bound," which was melodically similar to Charley
Patton's later recording of "Elder Green Blues," and
a nicely fingerpicked original called "Drop That
Sack." His sound was better captured at the
August session for "Hot Papa Blues" and "Take Me
Back Blues," which had a memorable low-string
solo that presages Blind Lemon's 78s. Later that
month, Papa Charlie took a noteworthy chord solo
in the pimp tale "Mama Don't Allow It (and She
Ain't Gonna Have It Here)," which was paired
with "Take Me Back Blues" as Paramount 12296.
In September '25 Jackson made the first
known recording of "All I Want Is a Spoonful."
The song was reputed to be sexually graphic-
scandalously so-in its folk form, so Papa Charlie's
version was considerably cleansed:
"/ told you once, this makes twice,
That's the last time-don't you burn that rice,
Because all I want, honey babe, is just a spoonful,
spoonful
"You can brown your gravy, fry your steak,
Sweet mama don't make no mistake,
'Cause all I want, honey babe, is just a spoonful,
spoonful"
During December 1925, Jackson trudged
across Chicago's bleak winter landscape to record
his wistful "I'm Going Where the Chilly Winds
Don't Blow." He didn't follow his own advice,
though, since he produced more 78s in January
'26, including an original guitar boogie called
"Jackson's Blues." At the December session he
also played a standard 6-string guitar on two takes
of "Texas Blues." The liners for Yazoo's Fat Mouth
1924 - 1929 state that for "Texas Blues" Jackson
substituted "a very fine gauge first or fifth banjo
string for the regular third (G) string" and tuned it
an octave higher than usual to get his remarkable
sound. Aural evidence, however, suggests that he
achieved this effect through dexterous chord
voicings on the treble strings. His easy-rolling
fingerpicking recalled Blind Blake, while one of the
verses resurfaced a few years later in Blind Willie
McTell's masterful "Travelin' Blues."
Over the next year and a half, Jackson
recorded only eight sides. His smooth, string-
bending guitar performance on "Up the Way
Bound" was very similar to Robert Wilkins' style
and gives credence to the rumor that Papa Charlie
may have spent some time living in Memphis. An
unidentified second banjoist with a fabulous
tremolo joined him at the May '27 session for his
original compositions "She Belongs to Me Blues"/
"Coal Man Blues," reportedly the first electrically
recorded Papa Charlie 78.
Page 26
Jackson's next 1927 studio date teamed
him with Lucille Bogan, with whom he recorded
"War Time Man Blues" and "Jim Tampa Blues."
The sides capture a warm rapport, with Charlie
making asides and turning in a crackerjack
performance on his guitar-banjo. During his "War
Time Man Blues" break, Lucille encouraged him:
"Oh, play it, Papa Charlie, play it! Whoop that
thing!" He laced "Jim Tampa Blues" with
flatpicked chords, strong bass lines and a fiery
double-time break.
Papa Charlie was back playing solo later
that summer when he cut "Skoodle Urn Skoo," a
lighthearted dance tune in the vein of "Shake That
Thing" and some of Blind Blake's repertoire. ("Say,
pal," asks Charlie during the introduction, "do you
know anything about that new dance they got out
now?" "No, I don't-what is it?" responds another.
"It's a dance they call 'skoodle urn skoo.' Let's
go!") Backed by another original, "Sheik of
Displaines Street," the 78 sold well, with "Skoodle
Urn Skoo" inspiring covers by Big Bill Broonzy and
Seth Richard, who played 12-string and kazoo on
his version. Charlie himself recut the song in '34.
In late 1927 another banjoist named
Charlie Jackson made his recording debut soloing
on tenor banjo with Tiny Parham and His "Forty"
Five on "A Little Bit Closer" for Paramount. The
following year he also appeared on Parham's
"Stuttering Blues" for Victor.
In January '28, Papa Charlie delivered
strong vocal performances on Paramount 12602,
which paired "I'm Looking for a Woman Who
Knows How to Treat Me Right" with a countrified
reading of "Long Gone Lost John." On the latter,
Jackson sings, "Now if anybody should ask you
who composed this song, tell 'em 'Papa Charlie
Jackson/ then idle on," but the song was published
in 1920 as "Long Gone (From Bowling Green)" by
W.C. Handy and lyricist Chris Smith. It was
probably based on a Kentucky folk song about a
black jail trusty set free to test the efficiency of a
pack of bloodhounds. In Jackson's version, Long
John fashions a pair of shoes with heels on both
ends and makes it to town, where he visits his
"brown" and knocks down a policeman before
making a clean getaway to the Gulf of Mexico.
The 78 was issued on Broadway 5076 as
by Charlie Carter, and also came out on Tempo in
England and XX in Austria. A far rarer curio is the
Biberphon 536 reissue, which was credited to the
Manhattan Roof Orchestra, with the titles of "I'm
Looking for a Woman Who Knows How to Treat
Me Right" and "Long Gone Lost John" changed to
"Farewell Blues" and "Memphis Blues."
Dr. Rainer E. Lotz described his very rare
tortoiseshell Biberphon pressing in 78 Quarterly
(No. 6): "Although this is pressed on a semi-
opaque flexible multicolored celluloid material, it
is actually a master pressing of excellent sound
quality. I suppose the wrong stampers were
shipped from the U.S. and the error only realized
after the test pressing.... After the error was
recognized, the record was never released and
only the freak specimen I have-the only known
copy-somehow survived. (Quite apart from the
mislabeling, there was definitely no market for
country blues in the Germany of 1930.)
Biberphon 536 must be one of the most strange
and rare blues pressings." Since that article's
publication, Dr. Lotz has found a green celluloid
copy, which is now in the possession of Pete
Whelan, who says the sound is far superior to any
Paramount pressings. "Any way you look at it,"
adds Dr. Lotz, "this is one of the most fascinating
records ever."
Jackson focused on hokumy shtick on his
summer and fall '28 releases. The seductive "Ash
Tray Blues" was backed with "No Need of
Knockin' on the Blind," which details the
Boccaccio- 1 ike goings-on in the marriage of an 82-
year-old to a woman sixty years his junior. "I Like
to Love My Baby" emphasized Jackson's rhythmic
prowess and good-time scat-singing, while "Baby-
Papa Needs His Lovin'" recycled tried-and-true
motifs. Backed by "Good Doing Papa Blues," his
"Lexington Kentucky Blues" was advertised in the
Chicago Defender. December '28, with a drawing
of Jackson on a sideshow stage playing banjo for a
hoochy-koochy dancer. '"Papa Charlie' Jackson
Page 27
went down to the great Kentucky State Fair last
summer/' claimed the copy, "and he must have
had a wonderful time. All kinds of experiences,
and he sings about what he did and what he saw
in this 'Lexington Kentucky Blues,' as he plays a
mean banjo accompaniment."
During October, Jackson joined Ma Rainey
on the first of a pair of minstrel-style duets.
Derived from Victoria Spivey's popular "T.B.
Blues," "Ma and Pa Poorhouse Blues" began with
an exchange in which listeners hear how Papa
Charlie had to pawn his big guitar-banjo and
somebody stole Ma's bus. Learning they're both
broke, the singers decide to go to the poorhouse
together. Perhaps there was some truth to the
lyrics, because at this and a few subsequent
sessions, Papa Charlie played an acoustic guitar
rather than his distinctive Gibson GB.
■
Ma Rainey made her final recording a few
months later, playing a man-hungry woman to
Papa Charlie's interested "big-kid man" in "Big
Feeling Blues." Soon afterwards, Paramount
canceled Ma's contract. By then, sighed a
Paramount exec, Ma Rainey's "down-home
material had gone out of fashion," and she was
considered too set in her ways to change. More
modern styles were beginning to dominate record
sales, and many found her too country-sounding.
Problems outside the recording industry were
mounting as well. Reeling from fierce competition
from talkies and the overall centralization of the
entertainment industry, the T.O.B.A., which
booked African American artists in major theaters,
had had its worst year on record in '27, and its
Chicago office closed soon afterwards.
In January '29 Jackson played the part of
Dentist Jackson on Hattie McDaniels' two-part
"Dentist Chair Blues," released as Paramount
12751. He then produced a lazy "Hot Papa Blues
No. 2," replacing the original version's flashy
guitar-banjo runs with stock guitar accompaniment,
and recast "Take Me Back Blues No. 2" as a
slow-paced guitar blues. Paramount's ad for "Hot
Papa Blues, No. 2" was more enthusiastic than the
performance, depicting a dapper Jackson strutting
in front of a gang of flapper girls held back by a
police officer. "No wonder they all fall for him!"
explained the copy. "He's just a red-hot papa in
a class all by himself, and it takes a cop or two
to hold the mamas back when he struts down the
avenue. 'Papa Charlie' Jackson sure knows how to
sing and play this kind of blues." He also played
guitar on the hokumy "We Can't Buy It No More."
That fall Jackson was sent to the new
Paramount recording facility in Grafton, Wisconsin,
to record "'Taint What You Got But How You Do
ItVForgotten Blues" and "Papa Do Do Do
BluesTI'll Be Gone Babe." He then yucked it up
with his label mate on the two-part "Papa Charlie
and Blind Blake Talk About It." Their guitar-banjo
and guitar blended together nicely, and the
emphasis was clearly on having a good time. The
musicians exchanged good-natured banter,
scat-sang together and stepped out on their
instruments, with Jackson playing a memorable
muted solo over Blake's accomplished big-band-
When "Poorhouse" was cut in 1929, Paramount
discs by Ma Rainey and Papa Charlie did not sell
as well as in the mid-'20s. That decline may have
inspired the "poorhouse" theme here.
Page 28
style comping during "Part 1 ." 78 Quarterly listed
the 78 as Papa Charlie's rarest Paramount, with
only about a half-dozen known copies in the
possession of collectors.
In a subsequent cross-promotional effort,
Paramount featured a segment of Papa Charlie's
"Shake That Thing" on its two-part Paramount All
Stars' "Hometown Skiffle," advertised in February
1930 as a "descriptive novelty featuring Blind
Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake, Will Ezell, Charlie
Spand, The Hokum Boys, Papa Charlie Jackson."
Papa Charlie would record only one additional
release for the label that had made him famous,
the lackluster "You Got That WrongVSelf
Experience," recorded on guitar in May '30 and
released as Paramount 12956.
By this time, observed Thomas A. Dorsey,
"The blues ran out-it collapsed. The blues singers,
they had nothing to do. It seemed like the whole
thing changed around, and wasn't no work for
anybody and they began to lose contact with each
other. The record companies, they started
publicizing some other types of music, see. Aletha
Dickerson and all those that came along in the
early days, they all turned to some other type of
music. This started to happen about 1929, 1930.
There was just a slump on the record business."
Papa Charlie's next studio appearance, in
June '34, was as a sideman on Big Bill Broonzy's
"At the Break of DayVI Want to Go Home,"
issued as Bluebird B-5571. That October, Jackson
reportedly backed Big Boy Edwards on his
Vocalion releases "Louise" and "Who Did You
Give My Barbecue To?" He may also have shared
guitar duties with Broonzy on Edwards' "Good
Doing Daddy," "It Was No Dream" and "Run
Away Blues." During the same week, he may also
have accompanied Amos "Bumblebee Slim" Easton
on "Black Gal, What Makes Your Head so Hard?"
and Big Bill on "I Want To See My Baby," issued
on Banner, Melotone, Oriole, Perfect and Romeo.
Papa Charlie recorded his final pair of
issued 78s in November '34. Upbeat and very
well-recorded, Okeh 8954 presented a new cover
of "Skoodle-Um-Skoo" with effective by-the-bridge
banjo strums, backed with the trucking "What's
That Thing She's Shaking?" The less-fancy "If I Got
What You Want'V'You Put It In, I'll Take It Out"-
actually a song about money-came out as Okeh
8957 and Vocalion 03048. "Towards the end of
his career," Sam Charters described in The Country
Blues, "he was used to cover hits by other singers.
He was a tall, awkward man, unable to read or
write. To record a new song he had to have
someone sitting behind him whispering the words
into his ear, just as many of the blind singers did."
Big Bill Broonzy, who claimed to have
studied guitar with Jackson in the early '20s, sat
alongside him on March 8, 1935, when he made
his final three records for ARC, which never issued
them. Within a few years, it's believed, Papa
Charlie Jackson was dead. "Twenty-some years
ago I came across an old black jazz musician from
Chicago," Gayle Dean Wardlow reports, "and he
said Papa Charlie Jackson committed suicide by
jumping in the Chicago River in the late '30s."
® Jas Obrecht 1996. Thanks to Norman Blake,
Rainer E. Lotz, Gayle Wardlow, Pete Whelan,
Johnny Parth and Jim O'Neal. An excerpt from
the book-in-progress, Early Blues .
The Cameo Record Corporation
by Allan Sutton
The early 1 920s saw many companies jump on
the cheap-record bandwagon, but for a time few
were more successful than the Cameo Record
Corporation.
Incorporated in New York in 1 921 , Cameo quickly
distinguished itself from the many fly-by-night record
companies that sprang up during the phonograph
boom of the early 1 920s. Cameo's executive roster
read like a Who's Who of the recording industry:
Edward N. Burns, a former Columbia vice president,
served as president; Earle W. Jones, former manag-
er of Jones Central Recording Laboratories, served
as vice president. Wallace Downing (formerly of
Columbia) and Frank Hennigs (formerly of Emer-
son) were recruited as recording engineers, and
former Edison staffer John Pearsall was retained to
overseethe master plating department. Carl Siemon,
president of the Siemon Hard Rubber Company
(Bridgeport , Connecticut) and an associate of Jones' ,
was appointed to the board of directors.
In November 1 921 Jones closed his studio and
moved his recording equipment to Cameo's new
studio at 102 West 38th Street. From the start,
Cameo recorded its own masters, although a few
of Jones' old S- prefixed masters found their way
onto the earliest releases. Pressing initially was
contracted to Siemon, and production probably
was under way by the end of 1921 .
In March 1 922 came a terse announcement in
the Talking Machine World that Jones had left
Cameo, to be replaced by Henry Waterson, cre-
ator of the Little Wonder record and president of
music publishers Waterson, Berlin & Snyder. An
additional pressing contract was awarded to the
American Record Manufacturing Corporation of
Framingham, Massachusetts in early 1 922, and
the Siemon connection probably was severed in
late 1922. Siemon had produced a high-quality
product, but once in ARMC's hands, Cameo press-
ing quality declined noticeably.
Cameo's Glory Years
The Cameo label was officially introduced in February
1922. Originally priced at 500, Cameo competed
with Emerson's popular Regal brand and enjoyed
almost immediate success. In mid-1 922 the compa-
ny lured blues singer Lucille Hegamin away from
Paramount at the height of her popularity and in 1 923
issued its first sides credited to the Varsity Eight, a
pseudonym for the California Ramblers. Cameo
eventually released morethan 75 Varsity Eight titles,
and even today they are among the most frequently
encountered Cameo records. The company wisely
avoided classical repertoire for the most part, but
made a notable exception in 1 924 when they signed
Eugene Ormandy, who at that time was concert-
master of New York's Capitol Theatre, to record a
series of light-classical violin solos. Tenor William
Robyn and band leader Bob Haring, who signed
exclusive Cameo contracts in 1 923, recorded count-
less sides through the later 1 920s.
Such signings were the exception, however. Cam-
eo's strategy was to keep its production costs low by
relying largely on the usual New York free-lance
Cameo Quality formed a new American habit
-and dealers who have the Cameo habit
performers. Like most companies, Cameo was not
above using pseudonyms for its performers: "Gloria
Geer" and "Marian Ross" for Vaughn de Leath , "Arthur
Baldwin" for Arthur Fields, "Henry Beaver" lor Irving
Kaufman, "Irvings & Jackson" for Irving & Jack Kauf-
man, "Walter Leslie" for Ernest Hare, "Gale & Fisher"
for Jones & Hare, "Frank Williams" for Vernon Dal-
hart, "Campus Glee Club" for the Shannon Four, and
"Jaz-Bo's Carolina Serenaders" for the Original
Memphis Five are among the most frequently
encountered assumed names.
Spurred by its popular Varsity Eight series, Cameo
offered a fair number of hot dance band releases but
produced little in the way of serious jazz and
blues. Even Hegamin's efforts proved to be
disappointingly commercial in comparison
to her earlier Arto and Paramount sides.
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turn over as fasf as you
can order iliem.
Tone, excellence of re-
cording, perma nonce—
all of the features thai
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lo be a ut'fd record —
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of every record hearing
the Gtimcu label.
And Cameo is always
out with iltc newest liiis
as boon as tlicy on hits.
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profits you caii'i
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Records, There,
ayain, quality is re-
sponsible for a
habit that's spread-
ing among the
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and rapidly as the
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DAVID GRIMES RADIO = CAMRO RECORD CORPORATION
M Silk klM N.» Y.,k
The association with David Grimes Radio marked a cheapening
of the Cameo brand. (From the Talking Machine World
for February 15, 1925.)
Cameo's Kress Dime-Store Labels
Cameo also produced several labels for the
S.H. Kress dime-stores, beginning with
Muse in 1922. Muse was introduced at the
same time as Cameo, in February 1922,
and was originally credited to the American
Record Manufacturing Company, Cameo's
main pressing plant. Muse's first 100 issues
drew on Cameo masters exclusively and
duplicated Cameo couplings and catalog
numbers. In 1923, production shifted brief-
ly to the Scranton Button Company, which
produced 40 releases (#301-340) using
masters from its Emerson and Regal affili-
ates. By early 1924, however, production
had reverted to Cameo.
Muse was discontinued in the summer of
1 924, to be replaced by the Tremont label.
Tremont was exclusively a Cameo product
and began its catalog numbering at the point
where Muse had stopped. Likethe later Muse
releases, most Tremont issues used artist
pseudonyms.
Cameo's final, and best known, effort for
Kress was Romeo, a 250 brand introduced
in July 1 926. Romeo originally drew exclu-
sively on Cameo masters, although couplings
usually differed from Cameo's and most
t
releases were pseudonymous. Romeo's early his-
tory was virtually identical to that of Cameo, but it
survived the parent label by nearly a decade and
in its final years was produced by the American
Record Corporation.
Cameo Enters the Children's Market
Cameo was also active in the burgeoning children's
record market. In early 1924 the company intro-
duced Kiddie Koncert Kartons, packaged sets of 7"
discs. The records were initially credited to ARMC,
which filed its trademark application on April 3, 1 924
and claimed use since January 7 of that year. Single
discs, issued under the Cameo Kid label and sell-
ing for 1 50 each, were introduced a short time later.
Unlike Kiddie Koncert Karton, these were credited
to Cameo, which filed its trademark application on
April 1 8, 1 924 and claimed use of the brand begin-
ning on April 1 4 of that year.
In early 1 925, Cameo became affiliated with David
Grimes Radio. Whether this was a merger or acqui-
sition is unclear, but the association produced two
immediate results: a lowering of Cameo retail prices,
and a lucrative contract with child actor Jackie
Coogan, who had already appeared on several Boy
Scout discs recorded by Cameo and credited to
ARMC . Coogan was fresh from his success as Charlie
Chaplin's co-star in The Kid, and Cameo's 200 Jackie
Coogan label received national publicity with the
support of the Famous Players Corporation. Cameo
and Grimes jointly filed a trademark application for
the label design, which depicted the actor in costume
for his role in The Kid, and it was published on August
14, 1925, one day before the label was formally
announced in the Talking Machine World. The first
releases — Boy Scout material, once again — were
followed in late 1 925 by a series of recitations.
Other Cameo Labels
Cameo produced several other minor labels,
including the earliest Harmograph series, the
obscure Golden Dawn, Lincoln, and Variety.
Lincoln, originally a 500 record credited to Cameo's
Lincoln Record Corporation subsidiary, appeared in
1 923. (Although Rust cites January 1 924 as Lin-
coln's debut, the Lincoln Record Corporation trade-
mark application of May 20, 1 923 claimed use on
records beginning May 3, 1 923.) Some Pathe mate-
rial appeared on later releases, but Cameo remained
Lincoln's primary supplier until the label was discon-
tinued in late 1 929. Nearly all issues were pseudony-
mous. In early 1925, Lincoln was reduced to a 350
brand and was openly acknowledged in trade publi-
cations to be a Cameo product, although labels con-
tinued to credit the Lincoln subsidiary.
In 1926 Cameo introduced the Variety label, a
rarely seen brand unrelated to a late 1 930s label
of the same name. Pressings from 1 926 through
late 1 927 are from Cameo masters exclusively,
but Pathe material was also used after October
1927. The American Record Corporation, formed
by the merger of Cameo and Pathe with the Regal
Record Company and Scranton Button Company
in 1 929, continued to produce Variety into the early
1930s. These later issues drew on ARC masters
and duplicated material on Banner, Perfect, and
related labels. Despite its relative longevity, the
Variety label is scarce today.
In 1927, Cameo took over production of the
Mitchell label, a Detroit-based brand with a check-
ered history that began its life as a Bridgeport Die
& Machine Company brand in 1 924 before pass-
ing to Grey Gull in mid-1 925. Under Cameo's man-
agement, Mitchell simply duplicated Lincoln's
couplings and catalog numbers and probably did not
survive beyond 1928. Cameo masters were also
used extensively on the New Phonic label (succes-
sor to National Music Lovers) in 1 927 and 1 928.
Cameo Goes Highbrow:
The Roycroft Series
One of Cameo's most uncharacteristic projects
was the Roycroft series, which it produced for the
Roycrofters of East Aurora, New York, an arts and
crafts society founded in the late 1 890s by author
Elbert Hubbard. The records were distributed by
publisher William H. Wise & Company of 50 West
47th Street, New York. Cameo recorded its first
Roycroft masters in December 1927, and Roy-
croft's trademark application claimed use of the
name on records beginning February 15, 1928.
In contrast to Cameo's usual pop fare, the Roy-
croft label featured the English Singers' renditions of
Shakespearean-era folk songs and choral works,
and the records were marketed in elaborate boxed
sets with illustrated booklets. Roycroft's second
series, again produced by Cameo, featured John
Jacob Niles and other vocalists in traditional British
ballads and similar esoteric fare. The final series
was produced by the American Record Corporation,
which by that time (1 929) had acquired Cameo.
All Roycroft masters were commissioned for
exclusive release on that label, and quality control
seems to have been stepped up for the series.
Despite critical praise, the records were of limited
commercial appeal, and they are fairly rare today.
Electrical Recording and the
Pathe Affiliation
Cameo began to experiment with electrical record-
ing in mid-1925. The conversion to full-time elec-
trical recording came in or around January 1 926
and was confirmed by the Talking Machine World
for April 15, 1926. "Both high and low notes are
of much better volume and clarity than heretofore,"
TMW observed, "and the bass notes are particu-
larly 'rounded' in the manner that is at present so
popular." Modern listeners tend to be less chari-
table; Cameo's electrical process produced a
muddy, muffled sound that fell far short of the
standards then being set by the major studios.
In October 1 927, Cameo joined forces with the
faltering Pathe Phonograph & Radio Corporation,
and recording activity was consolidated at Pathe's
studio (150 E. 53rd Street), which was only margin-
ally better than Cameo's. Although the two compa-
nies continued to maintain individual identities on the
surface, they effectively operated as one.
Master trading between Cameo and Path6 became
common practice and in the process created end-
less headaches for modern discographers. Because
both divisions maintained their original master num-
bering series, a single performance was often
assigned separate Cameo and Pathe master
numbers. Thus, many Cameo pressings of 1927-
1 929 show Pathe as well as Cameo numbers in the
wax. To complicate matters further, Pathe material
recorded as early as 1 91 9 was assigned false Cam-
eo master numbers in the late 1 920s and reissued
on Cameo, Romeo, and related labels.
Cameo is also associated with at least two
"phantom" labels — brands that were registered but
not produced. In February 1929, Burns filed a
trademark application for the Cinema label, al-
though it is unclear whether he was acting on his
own or on Cameo's behalf. Two month earlier,
Cameo had filed a trademark application for the
Radio label. Neither brand appeared, however,
and within a few months Cameo ceased to exist as
an independent record producer.
The American Record Corporation
and the Demise of Cameo
Cameo and Pathe merged with the Regal Record
Company (supplier of Regal, Banner, and other
dime-store brands, many of which were distribut-
ed through its Plaza Music Company affiliate) and
the Scranton Button Company (an independent
pressing plant and Regal/Plaza affiliate) in July
1929 to form the American Record Corporation.
The huge conglomerate, which eventually also
absorbed Brunswick and Columbia, was acquired
by the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1938.
In its press releases, ARC claimed that each of
its divisions would continue to operate indepen-
dently. ARC lost no time in raiding its newly ac-
quired Cameo library, reissuing Cameo masters
widely on its own labels, often under a bewildering
array of pseudonyms. Many ARC pressings from
this period show master numbers from all three
divisions— Cameo, Pathe, and ARC— but in the
end the Pathe/Cameo studio was closed, and
Cameo and its sister labels were forced to draw on
the same masters as other ARC brands.
Lincoln was discontinued in late 1929, and new
Cameo releases became increasingly sporadic.
ARC finally discontinued the label in or around
1 934, after several years of poor sales.
Romeo: Last Man Out
The American Record Corporation had little use
for Cameo, but it did continue to produce the Romeo
label for Kress dime-stores through early 1 938.
Post-1 930 Romeo releases drew primarily on ARC
The Elusive Earle W. Jones
Earle W. Jones ranks among the most obscure
figures in the early American recording industry.
Even the Talking Machine World stumbled over his
first name, spelling it variously as Earl or Earle.
Jones began his career in the recording industry in
or around 1903 and was employed as a recording
engineer by Columbia before leaving that company to
form the Jones Central Recording Laboratories (104
6th Avenue, New York). He also claimed to operate
recording studios at unspecified New York and Brook-
lyn locations. The Jones Central Recording
Laboratories ("Central" was later dropped from the
name) were first mentioned in the 1917 Talking Ma-
chine World Trade Directory, which noted that the
company "manufactures records in any quantity."
So far we have not discovered what labels Jones
supplied in the earliest years of his operation, but by
the early 1920s his S- prefixed masters— not to be
confused with Okeh's similarly prefixed master se-
ries — were appearing regularly on Arto, Bell, Lyric,
Mandel, and many other minor brands.
Jones also operated Standard Records Inc., a
company unrelated to the earlier Standard Talking
Machine Company of Chicago. This obscure
organization is mentioned in some of Carl Kendzio-
ra's research, but so far we have found no trace of
it in original trade literature. Standard apparently
served as a master broker, supplying material from
various sources to many minor labels in the early
1920s, particularly those associated with Arto and
Lyric. Other than that, virtually nothing is known of
this aspect of Jones' operation.
In July 1921 Jones entered into an agreement
under which his studios would serve as the recording
branch of the Siemon Hard Rubber Company of
IMPORTANT RECORD COMBINATION
Siemon Hard Rubber Co. and Jones Recording
Laboratory Join Force* — Will Produce Rec-
ords for Entire Trade— Factories Well
Equipped and Personnel Well Known
From the Talking Machine World, July 15, 1921
Bridgeport, Connecticut, a pressing plant that was
attempting to establish itself as a full-service inde-
pendent record manufacturer. The Jones-Siemon
link was maintained after Jones went to Cameo in
late 1 921 ; Siemon was installed as a director of the
new company and was awarded the first Cameo
pressing contract.
Jones was also linked to the Gaelic Phonograph
Record Company, which was founded in late 1921
and billed itself as 'the only all-Irish phonograph
record company." Jones was cited as an incorpora-
tor, although his name did not appear in the list of
company officers. Gaelic maintained two studios at
its headquarters (the former home of Tammany
politician Thomas Carroll) — oneforpersonal record-
ing sessions and the other for production of its com-
mercial masters — but the extent of Jones'
involvement in recording activity is not known.
Jones' tenure with the Cameo Record Corporation
was brief, his departure in March 1922 sudden and
unexplained. His name wasconspicuously absentfrom
the trade publications until late 1924, when he resur-
faced as an incorporator of the Moon Record Corpo-
ration, which was chartered in Albany, New York, to
produce records and phonographs. What — if any-
thing — Moon produced is not known, but after that
venture, Jones' trail grows cold. — A.S.
Eldridge R. Johnson's
By Tim
* *
The first numbered record of Eldridge R.
Johnson's Consolidated Talking Machine Company
features George H. Broderick reciting Eugene
Field's poem "Departure." The disc is assigned
catalog number A-1, as we know from an early
Consolidated catalog reprinted by Allen Koenigs-
berg as well as from Ted Fagan and William R.
Moran's J_he Encyclopedic Discography of Victor
Recordings . I have never seen an original copy of
the disc but Edgar Hutto sent to V78I a tape of
Broderick's admirable performance.
"A" was used for discs that were 7 inches
in diameter. Fagan and Moran state on page Ixvii
of EDVR 's first volume, "At first this letter was used
to precede all numbers regardless of record size,"
but I know only of 7-inch discs in the A series.
The serial number and the disc number were
identical in the earliest years, a separate matrix
system being adopted a few years later.
To say A-1 was Johnson's first released
disc would be misleading since it was made
available with a group of other early discs. It is
simply the disc that has the earliest number. Had
there been any series in addition to the "A" series
in 1900, we would have to consider that to
determine the first numbered disc. But there was
only the "A" series when Johnson began a
recording log on June 28, 1900.
To use "A" in addition to "1" at a time
when there was no competing series would seem
redundant, but Johnson was evidently already
planning a 10-inch series and perhaps others.
Victor's first "M" disc, or 10-inch disc, was M-
3001, featuring S. H. Dudley singing "When
Reuben Comes to Town," recorded for the 10-inch
format on January 3, 1901 (the "M" is not on 10-
inch discs whereas the "A" is on 7-inch discs). In
short, Johnson may have planned for more than
one series when beginning his recording log, but
the 10-inch series did not in fact begin until some
months after the 7-inch "A" series was introduced.
Broderick recorded two takes of "Depar-
ture" on June 28, 1 900 but these presumably were
«1rst Numbered Record
-
Gracyk
not issued. Takes 3 and 4 were recorded on
November 3, 1900. Take 3 was issued as disc A-
1, according to what is underlined in Fagan and
Moran's EDVR . At least I assume what was sent to
me on cassette is take 3. In the Fagan and Moran
book, takes are underlined that are, according to
the authors, "known to have been issued." I
recently asked Moran the question "Known by
whom?" and he explained the process used for
determining which takes were issued and therefore
which takes were underlined in EDVR 's first
volume. That complex process will be explained
in a future article. Briefly, Fagan and Moran
inspected discs and also made deductions while
studying original logs. Since the EDVR 's publica-
tion, collectors of pioneer recordings have found
that some takes not underlined were in fact issued.
Broderick was a noted bass singer in the
1880s and 1890s. That he was in the original
American casts of Gilbert and Sullivan light operas
is testimony to his pre-eminence as a singer. His
recording career seems to have lasted less than a
year, beginning and ending in 1900. He recorded
for Edison, Berliner, Zon-O-Phone and Johnson's
new company but late in 1900 moved to his wife's
hometown of Aurora, Illinois, which ended his
recording work. He died on May 10, 1905.
Broderick recorded 14 two-minute Edison
Standard cylinders, two being recitations: "Sher-
idan's Ride" (7694) and Kipling's "Absent Minded
Beggar" (7649). He recorded Kipling's verse for an
Edison Concert cylinder (B359). He recorded 23
Concert (5-inch diameter) brown wax cylinders.
That Johnson's first numbered record
features a recitation is not surprising since this was
an era when reciting verse-on the vaudeville stage,
at dinner parties-was commonplace. But this par-
ticular work being recited by this artist is unusual.
Johnson's employment of Broderick was
natural since Broderick had been recording for
Berliner at least as early as March 10, 1900 and
Johnson's company evolved from Berliner's. The
14 titles Broderick recorded for Berliner consist of
Page 35
operatic arias (Mephisto's Serenade from Gounod's
Faust ; 01063), light opera numbers ("Gypsy Love
Song" from Victor Herbert's J_he Fortune Teller ;
01257), bass standards ("Down Deep Within the
Cellar"; 01053), and popular songs of the day ("A
Dream of Paradise"; 01073).
What is unusual is that Johnson used
Broderick primarily for recitations. With the
possible exception of the rare "Yarn of the Dates"
(01 072— if this is truly a yarn, it might be recited),
Broderick had recorded no recitations for Berliner's
company, which employed others for speaking
performances, including Len Spencer, George
Graham, David C. Bangs, John Terrell, and Russell
Hunting. Graham and William F. Hoo ley recorded
several in late 1899. Paul Charosh's Berliner
Gramophone Records shows three recitations
being recorded for the company in 1900, two by
Press Eldridge and one by George Graham.
Broderick recorded 19 separate titles for
Johnson over five recording dates, beginning on
May 1, 1900 and ending on June 28, 1900. He
Finding appropriate visuals for articles about rare
discs is a challenge. Perhaps the earliest 7-inch
Victor recording in the editor's collection in A-
371 (take 3-June 5, 1901). How many collectors
own a copy of A-1?
returned once more, on November 3, 1900, to
record new takes of previously recorded titles, with
the third take of "Departure" from this session
judged good enough to be issued.
Most of Broderick's recordings for Johnson
were made at a time when Johnson actually
worked for Berliner. The Consolidated Talking
Machine Company had not yet been formed when
Broderick did the bulk of his work for Johnson.
Whether the idea to record "Departure"
was suggested by Johnson and his associates, or
whether Broderick suggested it because it was in
his performing repertoire, is impossible to say.
The poem may have been chosen for recording
purposes because of its brevity, ideal for a 7-inch
disc. The recording lasts 98 seconds.
Broderick's recitation of "Departure" was not
his earliest recorded performance issued by John-
son. Some takes recorded during Broderick's first
session for Johnson, on May 1, 1900, were chosen
for discs with significantly higher numbers than A-
1, including his renditions of William Reeve's
"Friar of Orders Grey" (A-1 39; EDVR erroneously
cites William Shield as composer) and DeKoven's
"The Armorer's Song" (A-1 41).
Moreover, Broderick performances are not
the earliest to be heard on Johnson discs. The
earliest recorded performance appears to be on A-
2, which features George Graham performing "The
Colored Preacher," recorded on May 14, 1900.
According to Fagan and Moran's EDVR, Dan
Quinn made recordings for Johnson as early as
January 30, 1900 ("She Knew A Lobster When She
Saw One") but these takes were not issued.
Why was Johnson recording Broderick in
May 1900? Why was Johnson recording Quinn
months earlier on January 30, 1900? Emile
Berliner's disc company was strong at that time.
Frank Seaman would not file for the injunction that
brought the Berliner company to a halt until June
25, which was six months away. Charosh's
Berliner Gramophone Records shows S.H. Dudley
recording "The Colonel" (0929), from the show
Whirl-i-gig, for Berliner on the day that Quinn
recorded for Johnson. Were the recordings made
Page 36
at the same location, with Dudley recording during
one part of the day and Quinn during another?
It is more likely they were made at differ-
ent locations. Johnson did much experimentation.
We cannot know for certain how many of
Johnson's experiments with recording were done
with Berliner's knowledge, but possibly Johnson
was recording with Berliner's full support since
only through experimentation could recording and
playback technology be improved. Johnson's
experiments could hardly have been a secret since
Johnson used many artists who worked regularly
for Berliner. On the other hand, it would not be
surprising if Johnson's patent lawyer knew more
about Johnson's experiments than Berliner.
In January 1900, Johnson's shop was at
108 N. Front St., Camden, New Jersey. He moved
to 120 N. Front St. in February. Talking machines
were made at these shops, and the shops may have
served as early recording studios. Johnson also
leased space on the 13th floor of the Stephen
Girard Building in Philadelphia, and perhaps this
was a site for recording. In a few years recording
would be done at 424 South 10th Street, which
had previously been listed as the location for the
Berliner Gramophone Company.
That "Departure" is A-1 does not
necessarily mean Johnson viewed it as better or
more significant than other recordings made at the
time. "Departure" may have become A-1 by a
random process of assigning takes with release
numbers, with that process being unknown today.
On the other hand, "Departure" was pos-
sibly selected for A-1 because the poem is about a
young man saying farewell to his parents, the im-
plication being that the man is starting a new life
(the opportunity for sound effects-a train whistling
and moving on tracks-must have appealed to those
making the recording). Here is a possible analogy
to Johnson's new business venture.
But it seems unlikely that the choice of
"Departure" for A-1 has a special meaning. Even
if Johnson's new company is like a young man
beginning a new life (with the Berliner Company
being the father figure?), the poem in fact focuses
on two elderly parents. A father does the talking
in this dramatic monologue. The father and son
wait for the latter's train at a station, and we learn
about a mother at home in a sickbed. The overall
tone is gloomy due to the mother being ill and
possibly close to death. Listeners can only
speculate on what the young man is feeling. The
poem's subject matter-a son leaving home, leaving
a simple rural environment (probably for what was
widely characterized at the time as the "wicked"
city)— is typical of the period.
The now largely forgotten American poet
Eugene Field, a newspaper man who wrote verse
as well as stories, died in Chicago on November 4,
1895. His work remained enormously popular at
the turn of the century. His "Little Boy Blue" and
"Dutch Lullaby (Wynken, Blynken, and Nod)"
were especially loved-both, in fact, were set to
music by Reginald DeKoven as well as Ethelbert
Nevin. John McCormack's recording of Nevin's
"Little Boy Blue" (Victor 64605) sold very well.
Evan Williams was another Red Seal artist to
record songs set to Field's words, not only Nevin's
"Little Boy Blue" but "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod"
as set to music by Passiello. Edison artists who
recorded "Little Boy Blue" are Harry Macdonough,
Elisabeth Spencer, and Anna Case.
I find no evidence that Field's sentimental
"Departure" was well-known in 1900. The 12-
volume set The Writings In Prose And Verse of
Eugene Field , published by Scribner's, has no
poem titled "Departure." That a 12-volume set has
nothing titled "Departure" suggests the poem was
one of his uncollected newspaper verses or was
excerpted from a longer work. If the latter is the
case, I have not discovered the longer work from
which "Departure" was taken and therefore cannot
compare my transcription of Broderick's recitation
with the original text. One phrase is unintelligible
but this may be due to record wear or pressing
imperfections. Broderick is not at fault. Blessed
with a sonorous basso voice, he is very articulate.
David Banks informs me that Eugene Field
himself had been highly regarded for his
recitations. Field's was a basso voice, according to
descriptions of Field's recitations.
It is tempting to view "Departure" as a
prose work, given Broderick's delivery, but an
early Victor catalog and the disc's announcement
identify the work as a poem.
In the opening announcement, Johnson's
company is not mentioned despite most other
companies at this time using spoken announce-
ments for company identification. Announcements
on the earliest Zon-O-Phones say "for the Zon-O-
phone," with later ones saying "Zon-O-Phone
record!" But Johnson followed Berliner's practice
of having only title and performer stated. Spoken
announcements on Berliners never mention the
name "Berliner."
What follows is my transcription of
Johnson's first disc:
Eugene Field's poem "Departure"
Rendered by George Broderick
Well, Bill, shake hands and say goodbye
'Afore you go away
We hate to see you leave us
Page 37
[Train whistle!
Well, Bill, your train's a-comin'
Here's some stuff the children sent
Driftwood more than likely
And me and mother went
And had our pictures took
So as to give you one
To remember us by in the years
When we'll be dead and gone
And here's a little Bible mother sent to give to you
We didn't have much money
But I reckon it will do as well
As if we weren't poor
And had more change to spare
So take it, Bill, with mother's love
And try to keep it
Where it'll always be the handiest
When you get far away
We hate to see you go, Bill
We'd much rather have you stay
[Sound of a train departing]
Good-bye, Bill!
God bless him!
We'd much rather have you stay
Mother and me's gettin' old
We can't be with you long
She's been failing for some time now
And will never be as strong as she was
'Afore the ague laid her up so long in bed
And more than likely when you get back
You'll find your mother dead
[Unintelligible] quivering
When you went to say goodbye
And tears splashed on her pillow
When she asked you to try
And be a good boy for her sake,
Bill, when you get far away
RECITATIONS BY
JYLR. GEORGE BRODERICK.
A I Departure. (Eugene Field's Poem.)
RUDY ARD KIPLING'S POEMS.
A 5 On the Road to Mandalay.
A 8 1 The Absent Minded Beggar,
DIALECT RECITATIONS BY
MR, WILL N. STEELE.
A 410 Eikenstein on the War.
A 41 1 Eikenstein on the Ocean.
A 412 Eikenstein at a Prize Fight.
A 4 13 John W. KeJley's A. P. A. Story.
STREET PIANO ORGAN RECORDS.
A 203 Hebe.
A 204 The Blue and the Gray.
A 201 The Holy City.
We hate to see you leave us
We'd much rather have you stay
From a 1 901 catalog reprinted by Allen Koenigsberg
Restoring Your Victrola's Appearance
By David Spanovich
When the question comes up concerning
whether or not to refinish a Victrola cabinet, the
answer most collectors give is, "Don't, if at all
possible!" I agree, providing the overall
appearance of the cabinet is in good condition.
Unfortunately, with most museum quality
machines now in the hands of collectors, this is
seldom the case today. In fact, like many
collectors on a tight budget, I am forced to look
only at fixer-uppers when the "I've just got to have
another Victrola" bug bites me.
Years of frustration and dissatisfaction with
my own abilities as a cabinet refinisher has taught
me one thing. There is no way I can recreate the
flawless finish applied at a multi-million dollar fac-
tory seventy odd years ago. No one can, unless he
is a professional cabinet re-finisher-a skilled trade
that takes years to learn.
Pre-1925 Victrola cabinets were typically
coated with multiple layers of shellac and varnish,
with each layer hand rubbed to glassy smoothness.
To recreate that type of finish, one needs to have
precise knowledge of the application methods used
as well as a dust free facility in which to do the
application methods used. One also needs special
drying kilns and high quality tools.
Turning the work over to a shop
specializing in antique restoration is an expensive
option, with no guarantee of an authentic looking
finish. Every professionally refinished Victrola I
have seen has looked like a reproduction.
Still, the average collector can take some
steps to bring back luster to a Victrola without
refinishing the cabinet.
Materials needed are rubber gloves; a bot-
tle of lemon oil (I recommend Old English Lemon
Oil); a package of #0000 steel wool; three or four
sheets of #600 wet-or-dry sandpaper (3M brand);
clean cotton rags (old bath towels or T-shirts); a
small empty container; paste/Liquid Wax.
The most common problem involves the
fact that the Victrola sat untouched in an attic or
cellar for thirty or forty years. Had the cabinet
been cleaned and waxed regularly, it would look
as good today as it did when it came from the
factory. But, over time, dust and temperature
changes have caused the once smooth finish to
take on the appearance and texture of dark red or
black leather, obscuring most of the wood grain.
Because the cabinet has been neglected for
decades, the first step is to clean it. Since this is
messy, I recommend that you work outside or in a
garage, wear old clothes, and wear rubber gloves.
Using a cotton cloth, apply a liberal coat
of lemon oil to the entire cabinet, let it soak in for
about an hour, then wipe off the oil. Bathe the
cabinet again with oil, letting it to soak over night.
Page 39
The following day, pour lemon oil into a
small container, saturate a wad of #0000 steel
wool, and gently rub a small area of the finish with
the steel wool in the direction of the wood grain.
There is no need to press hard. Also, avoid the
edges and corners of the cabinet because it is very
easy to rub through to bare wood in these areas.
After a few moments of rubbing, wipe off
the oil to see if the wood grain is more apparent.
If it is, move on to another area. After rubbing
down the entire cabinet in this manner, which may
take several hours, wipe the surface dry and leave
it until the next day.
The next step, after cleaning the finish,
involves fine sanding the top coat of varnish that
has crazed. Since the Victrola had multiple layers
of shellac and varnish, only the top one or two
coats are normally damaged.
Sprinkle drops of lemon oil onto the
cabinet surface. Then dip a small piece of #600
wet-or-dry sandpaper-approximately 2 inches
square-into the oil and rub gently in the direction
of the wood grain. After about ten seconds of
rubbing, feel the surface, and if it feels smooth, go
on to an adjacent area. Apply more lemon oil
before sanding any area.
Do not worry about scratching the cabinet
since #600 sandpaper is extremely fine and can be
used for buffing out an oil-based cabinet finish to
a mirror-like smoothness. But, again, care should
be taken around corner areas of the cabinet, i
Never apply the sandpaper perpendicular to the
corner. Instead, gently work the sand paper
toward the direction of the corner in a swiping
motion, lifting off at the corner's edge. It is better
to leave a little crazing around the corners than
risk rubbing through to bare wood, which would j
mandate a strip and re-finish job.
After the entire surface has been sanded,
the cabinet should again be bathed in lemon oil
and wiped dry. If desired, a liberal coat of satin or
high-gloss paste wax can then be applied to the
surface and buffed out, according to the directions
on the can. Other top-coat polishes, such as liquid
wax, will also work.
While this may seem a "quick fix," it will ,
vastly improve your Victrola's appearance and also
preserves the ambered beauty of the original finish.
The Kansas City Talking Machine Company
And Its "Original" Recordings of 1898
By Tim Gracyk
Quentin Riggs sent to V78I a copy of a
catalog published in 1898 by the Kansas City
Talking Machine Company. The catalog itself was
once owned by the Rev. Duane D. Deakins,
compiler of Cylinder Records . Deakins donated
the catalog to the Library of Congress in the late
1950s. The original copy appears to be the only
one printed by the company to have survived.
In May 1957, before donating it, Deakins
used a camera to photograph its pages. Because
he went to that trouble, I am able to study the
catalog today and share observations. I can
probably examine the original if I travel to the
Library of Congress, but if Deakins had not made
a copy for other collectors, and if Riggs had not
made a copy for me, I would never have learned
that this fascinating catalog even exists. When
collectors circulate among themselves tapes of
recordings and copies of rare catalogs, information
spreads. I urge all collectors to make some type of
copy of rare items before selling or donating them.
The Kansas City Talking Machine Company,
with "office and factory" located at 425 Delaware
Street, primarily distributed Columbia products, not
only pre-recorded brown wax cylinders but the
Columbia Eagle ("Clock-work motor . . . Price
$10.00"), the Columbia Graphophone ("larger and
more finely finished than the Eagle"), the "New
Graphophone Nickel-ln-The-Slot Machine" ($20),
hearing tubes, "nickel connections," belts, speaking
tubes, main springs.
The company also sold Edison products
though not Edison pre-recorded cylinders. It lists
the "New Standard Phonograph" at $20 ("this is
the cheapest genuine Edison Phonograph made"),
the Home Phonograph at $30, an Edison Coin-in-
the-Slot Phonograph at $50, an Edison Spring
Motor Phonograph at $75 ("No electricity.. .No bat-
tery"), and an Edison "M" at $1 10. Shaved Edison
cylinders, "ready for use and packed in cotton and
box," cost twenty cents or $2.25 a dozen.
At this time hearing tubes were still being
used, though horn machines were also available.
In announcing female comic singer May C. Hyers,
the catalog states, "These records have been made
by the use of a new process which we control
exclusively and they possess the sweetness of
voice which is so lacking in many records made
by the female voice. They are suitable for either
horn or tube use, as the enunciation is perfect."
A page giving ordering instructions states,
"Our records are all originals and we ask all to be
very specific and state whether they wish the
records for horn or tube use. We can then fill
orders intelligently, as we have records so loud
that they could not be used for tube use with
satisfaction, as they can be heard with the horn
several blocks away. "
Original Records - Some Featuring Hattie Nevada
Most importantly, the company made and
sold its own recordings, over a thousand titles.
These cylinders recorded in Kansas City sold for
fifty cents, or a dozen for five dollars. The catalog
states, "All records with our announcement on and
bought direct from us are fully warranted to be
originals and not duplicates" (emphasis added).
The catalog states, "[W]e have no agents."
A few of these cylinders exist today, and
announcements do indeed identify them as Kansas
City Talking Machine Company products. Chuck
Haddix of the Marr Sound Archives at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City, knowing my
interest, sent a cassette of six cylinders issued by
the company. From various auction lists, I know
that other K.C.T.M.C. cylinders have survived.
Hattie Nevada, a song-writer and mezzo
soprano, is one artist whose cylinders were sold by
the Kansas City Talking Machine Company and
perhaps by no other company. Deakins reports in
Page 41
Cylinder Records that she was married to Frank
Huntington Woodbury, who founded the company
in 1897 ("Nevada" was evidently a pseudonym).
This is the Woodbury mentioned in the March
1910 issue of Edison Phonograph Monthly , which
lists injunctions granted in restraint of price cutting.
EPM names the case involving Woodbury as
"Edison Phonograph Co. and National Phonograph
Co. vs. Frank H. Woodbury, U.S. Circuit Court,
Western District of Missouri, Western Division."
When this particular injunction was handed down
is not stated. (The October 1914 issue of EPM
profiles The Phonograph Company of Kansas City,
but this is a different firm.)
From a researcher named Harland
McWilliams, who knew Thomas Hicks Woodbury-
son of Hattie Nevada and Frank H. Woodbury-
Deakins learned about the company's origins.
jaii<; 13 |*j
c
aonino vo„
cmnr. mo
k tfct ON LY COMPANY in the
OHZTED STATES Lfctinf *nd
Deakins also interviewed an artist who had
decades earlier "made whistling selections" for the
company. Deakins does not name the artist but
this must be George C. Fultz.
Deakins writes, "Originally cylinder
phonographs and records were involved in the
[Kansas City] business only as premiums to be
given away to purchasers of a certain quantity of
cigars, etc. But eventually the records and
machines of both Edison and Columbia were sold,
Woodbury having obtained a franchise giving him
sole rights to sell them in a four state area." The
company began making its own cylinders in 1898.
Hattie Hicks Woodbury-also known as
Hattie Nevada-composed in 1897 "The Letter
Edged in Black," which was recorded in the late
1890s and revived by Vernon Dalhart and Fiddlin'
John Carson in the 1920s, Bradley Kincaid in the
1930s, and others. Singers who made "original"
records for the company recorded various Nevada
songs. Nine Nevada compositions were published.
They include "On The Old Missouri Shore," "My
Father Was A Sailor On The Maine," "I'll Come
Back When the Hawthorn Blooms Again," "I'm Just
an Old Vagabond," and "While the Leaves Come
Drifting Down." May Irwin popularized this last
song in Kate Kipp Buyer . In a few years it would
be recorded for Victor by Harry Macdonough with
first A.D. Madeira as his duo partner, then with
S.H. Dudley as partner. Byron G. Harlan and
Madeira recorded the song for Edison in late 1899.
George J. Gaskin recorded all six of the
Nevada songs mentioned above, probably during
a stopover in Kansas City in mid-1898.
When I compare the K.C.T.M.C.'s catalog
with other Columbia catalogs of the period-
namely, one issued in June 1897 by the Columbia
Phonograph Company, another issued in mid-1898
by the Columbia dealership in Boston called The
Eastern Talking Machine Company-I am struck by
significant differences. The K.C.T.M.C. catalog
allows us to view the industry from a new angle.
Paradoxically, the more I learn about
recordings of the 1890s, the more I realize that
much about the phonograph business of the 1890s
might never be known.
Page 42
"Original Records'* Versus "Duplicates"
The Kansas City Talking Machine Com-
pany proudly sold "original records" in addition to
selling Columbia cylinders. The catalog states,
"We are the largest ' original ' record manufacturers
in the world!" The emphasis on "original" is in the
catalog. It also proclaims that the K.C.T.M.C. "is
the ONLY COMPANY in the UNITED STATES
Listing and Selling ORIGINAL RECORDS."
It is not true that it was the only company
making "original records" in 1898. In the 1890s
many phonograph dealers made them-enough,
according to Ron Dethlefson, for Edison to frown
on the practice of sending out large shipments of
blanks. Certainly the Edison franchise on Market
Street in San Francisco-called the Bacigalupi and
MacDonald Phonographic Arcade in or about
1895, the Edison Phonograph Parlor in 1897, and
the Edison Phonograph and Graphophone Agency
in 1899-made original records in the late 1890s.
Billy Murray and Matt Keefe made such recordings
for owner Peter Bacigalupi in 1897 or 1898.
The catalog may be correct in claiming the
Kansas City company was the largest manufacturer
of "original" records (Edison and Columbia
cylinders were not what are here called "original"
records). Certainly the company pushed "original
records," stressing their superiority over cylinders
that the catalog calls "duplicates." Originals must
have been profitable for the company to push
them so heavily. Deakins reports in Cylinder
Records that the artist who had made whistling
selections for the company (again, Deakins does
not name him but it must be George C. Fultz)
recalled whistling into five machines at once and
receiving 11 1/2 cents for each record.
The catalog implies that if a cylinder is not
an "original," then it is a "duplicate" made by the
crude process of one machine recording a cylinder
while another machine plays the music. This is
unfair if the Columbia cylinders in stock had been
made with a pantograph system.
The catalog states that "original records"
are superior in sound and last longer. Regarding
durability, it proclaims, "The best records are the
cheapest in the end. ..they will wear FOUR TIMES
as long as Duplicates. Ask any Phonograph Man,
who has large experience, and he will tell you, 'I
would not have a Record-except it was Original—if
I could help it.'" It also states,
"Original records are such as are produced by
either singing, talking or playing directly to a
record placed on the receiving machine. Such
records will possess all the fine intonations of the
instruments or voice and will not lack the finer
tones or notes which go to help make a complete
COLUMBIA BAND RECORDS.
Our Band Records are the standard of musical
I excellence in this line the world over. They are
universally used and are perfect reproductions*
of the work of the greatest musical organiza-i
tions of the century. c
GILMORE'S BAND.
Known throughout the world,
J| \ Gilmore's band has a reputation
second to none. It's fame has |
S -J&8iJ been won purely and simply by
iL its excellence. The following- list
%^(^^ represents the best work of the
^e^&r great organization:
Operatic.
1505 Selections from Bohemian Girl.
S 1508 El Miserere, from UTrovatore, Cornet and
Trombone Duet.
1510 Selections from Faust.
1515 Pilgrims' Chorus from Tannhauser.
1519 Bridal March from Lohengrin.
1521 Sextette from Lucia.
1523 Grand March from Tannhauser.
1524 Overture to William Tell.
1525 Selections from La Traviata.
1529 Selections from Daughter of the Regiment.
1530 Coronation March from La Prophet.
1531 Overture to Zampa.
1540 Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah.
15 16 Overture to Poet and Peasant.
1547 Overture to Semiramide.
Since it sold Columbia cylinders, the Kansas City
catalog shares much with the 1898 Columbia cat-
alog from which this page is taken. The catalogs
also differ because of the K.C.T.M.C/s thousand-
odd "original" records. The image above is prob-
ably of Patrick S. Gilmore, who died in 1892. It
could be of bandleader William E. Gilmore, later
president of Edison's National Phonograph Co.
Compare this with William Gilmore's photograph
in the August 1906 issue of Edison's trade journal.
and pleasing record. Such records when taken by
the aid of the best made machine and by skilled
artists cannot [but?] help to increase the demand
for good records. "
Again, the catalog unfairly suggests there
are only two kinds of cylinders-original and dupli-
cate, direct recording vs. acoustic dubbing. It fails
to acknowledge the industry's use of pantographic
dubbing, thereby doing Columbia cylinders a
disservice. Naturally "original" records are better
than what is described as a "duplicate." The
catalog states,
"To make duplicate records the first essential is to
have a good ORIGINAL Record. (Can any one say
these duplicates will be as good as the original it
was made from?) The next requisite is to have two
Talking Machines and then let one do the
reproducing while the other records. The result is
a record which most companies sell and pretend
to say it is as good as the one from which it was
made. Anyone can try the experiment by using
one of our High Grade Original records and see
the result they get as compared with the original. "
Edward M. Favor's "Original Records"
Some artists on "original records" were
traveling performers who recorded in various
cities. Edward M. Favor made many "original
records" for the Kansas City company. By 1898,
Favor was an established recording artist. Around
1893 he recorded "The King's Song" (Columbia
cylinder 6544). From another hit musical of this
period in which he appeared, Ship Ahoy , he
recorded "The Commodore Song" (North American
772), with the opening announcement stating,
"Edison Record 772, The Commodore Song from
Ship Ahoy as sung by the original commodore Mr.
Edward M. Favor of Rice's 1942 Company."
Favor made records between vaudeville
engagements, working for virtually all companies.
Billy Murray recalled seeing Favor sing into eight
cylinder phonographs at the San Francisco
headquarters of the Bacigalupi Brothers. Favor,
Page 43
who was then appearing at the Orpheum Theater,
must have made an impression for Murray to
remember, decades later, how Favor would cup his
hands behind his ears to determine whether the
tone was hitting the horn straight in the center.
Favor worked often for Columbia, con-
tinuing into the disc era. Interestingly, he is in
Columbia's 1897 catalog but not the 1898 catalog
issued by the company's New England dealer. In
the K.C.T.M.C. catalog of 1898, Favor selections
are listed as "warranted original records." With
only a few exceptions, the titles do not match
those of the 1 897 Columbia catalog. One title that
Favor recorded for Columbia in 1897 and also the
K.C.T.M.C. is "What Do You Think of Hoolihan,"
which is not surprising given the song's popularity.
I own a Will F. Denny brown wax cylinder with
the original Columbia paper slip giving the title as
"What Do You Think of O'Hoolihan" (5068). The
slip gives addresses of Columbia dealers in eight
American cities, including St. Louis (at 720-722
Edward M. Favor recorded often for Columbia in
the 1890s and early 1900s. He also made "origi-
nal" records in Kansas City, San Francisco, and
possibly elsewhere. "Who Threw The Overalls In
Mistress Murphy's Chowder" was written in 1898,
the year of the K.C.T.M.C. catalog. The disc
above is from 1903 or so.
Page 44
Olive St.), and in Paris and Berlin. Kansas City is
not one of the cities.
Favor recorded Hattie Nevada composi-
tions in Kansas City, including "The Letter Edged in
Black" (325), a rare instance of Favor being paid to
record songs composed by his employer.
We know for certain that Favor made
"original" records for both the Kansas City firm and
the Bacigalupis in San Francisco. Where else did
he make "original" records?
This kind of recording activity-making
records in different cities as performers traveled
across the continent-stopped after Edison's gold-
moulded process for cylinders was introduced in
early 1902. The big companies' earlier process of
making cylinders from a pantograph was labor
intensive, with the relatively high production cost
passed on to dealers in wholesale prices, so some
independent dealers could earn higher profits by
making their own cylinders. However, the new
gold-moulded process was superior to earlier
processes and was not labor intensive. Unable to
match the quality of gold-moulded records, dealers
gave up hiring artists to make "original" cylinders.
Some artists, consequently, could not earn as much
as before, which may account for some forsaking
their recording careers by the early 1900s.
Artists whose Columbia cylinders were
stocked by the Kansas City dealership-that is,
records sent from the East coast-include Gilmore's
Band, Charles P. Lowe, the Columbia Orchestra,
Len Spencer, John York AtLee, Minnie Emmett,
Billy Golden, Dan W. Quinn, George W. Johnson,
George J. Gaskin, and George Schweinfest. Their
titles and numbers in the Kansas City catalog
generally match those in the Columbia catalogs
issued in June 1897 and June 1898 though some
Columbia titles were not available in Kansas City.
Artists Who Made Original Records
The Kansas City catalog lists over a dozen
artists who made "original" records. Many of these
names appear in no other catalog. The artists
include female cornetist Linnie Biggs, cornetist L.
Leverich, piccolo soloist Arthur Wehl, the National
Orchestra, James' Military Band ("The Klondyke
March" and "Phonograph March" are performed,
among other numbers), the Symphony Orchestra,
tenor Arthur Gladstone, the Third Regiment Band,
xylophone soloist J.W. Drew, Morris Manley, Frank
Butts, David C. Bangs, Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, the
Mozart Male Quartette, the Flower Sisters (they
recorded sometimes as a brass quartet and other
times as a vocal quartet), banjoist James A. Dunn,
Hattie Nevada, May C. Hyers, clarionet soloist
William N. Hummer, and whistler George C. Fultz.
Most of these names will be unknown
even to those who study the brown wax era.
Names familiar to me are baritone David C. Bangs,
who recorded nearly a dozen titles for Berliner
from 1895 to 1896; Robert G. Ingersoll, who
recites on 2 Berliners; the Mozart Quartet, which
A CARD FROM
Gen'l Ag't Sousa's Band
The statement made in the 1898
catalogue of the Columbia Phonograph
Co.thattheyhaveGRAPHOPHONE
records of the Bride-Elect March
and the Stars and Stripes Forever
March, made by Sousa's own band, is
ENTIRELY UNTRUE, as no part
of Sousa's Band or body of musicians
connected with that organization has
made records of these selections ex-
cepting for the GRAM-O-PHONE.
Furthermore, the members of
Sousa's Band do not make records
for any talking machines other than
the Gram-o-phone. (Signed)
FRANK CHRISTIANER.
New York, April 1, '98.
V78I reader Syd Shoom sent this announcement
from the May 7, 1898 issue of J_he Outlook . The
Kansas City catalog was published a few months
later. It carried Columbia cylinders but not the
Sousa titles in question here.
L
made 4 Berliners; and tenor Arthur Gladstone, who
made 3 Berliners. Aside from Edward M. Favor,
none of the artists who made "original" records in
Kansas City were associated with Edison.
The Kansas City catalog lists over a dozen
David C. Bangs performances, including "Casey at
the Bat" (3502), "Stump Speech on Love" (3513),
and "The Idiot Boy" (3517). His recording days
with Berliner were over. The catalog proudly
named Bangs as an exclusive K.C.T.M.C. artist:
"The long and successful reputation of Mr. Bangs
as a record maker is a sufficient warranty of the
high order of his work. As a versatile artist he has
no superior, and his selections, whether grave or
gay, have that touch of naturalness and finesse that
few public speakers possess. A voice of great
strength, flexibility and sweetness makes his
records greatly sought after. Mr. Bangs is now
exclusively connected with our record department,
and his original records can only be had with our
announcement. "
The Kansas City catalog lists a few dozen
Arthur Gladstone titles, stating, "As a ballad singer
Mr. Gladstone has no superior and his reputation
" for singing patriotic songs and ballads is
international. Mr. Gladstone's voice is Tenor
robusto of marvelous sweetness as well as
strength." One number he sings is Paul Dresser's
"Just Tell Them That You Saw Me" (4010),
followed in the catalog by George M. Cohan's "I
Told Them That I Saw You" (4011). Other
Gladstone selections, among nearly a hundred,
• include Nevada's "Letter Edged in Black" (4000),
Harris' "After the Ball" (4012), Davis and
Trevelyan's "Down In Poverty Row" (4013), and
Davis' "In The Baggage Coach Ahead" (4047).
The 11 titles recorded in Kansas City by
banjoist James A. Dunn need to be added to Uli
Heier and Rainer E. Lotz's The Banjo On Record
when that admirable banjo discography is revised.
I know from an auction list put out by Ray Phillips
that at least one Dunn cylinder has survived: "The
Cocoanut Dance."
Tenor Frank Butts, like banjoist James A.
Page 45
Miscellaneous Instrumental
Solos and Duets.
These records are magnificent demonstrations
of the high grade of excellence maintained in
our record-making department. Every note is
true and clear, and the sweetness and purity of
the original production is reproduced with a
faithfulness to detail that is astonishing.
Xylophone Solos by Chas. P. Lowe
Bright, attractive records of an excellent
performer and his novel instrument.
12000 Home, Sweet Home
12001 Wood Nymph Galop
12002 Edison Polka
12003 Carnival of Venice
12004 Du Du Medley
12005 Brilliant Galop
12006 My Old Kentucky Home
12007 Gretchen Polka
12008 Firefly Galop
12009 The Mocking Bird
12010 You'll Remember Me
12011 The Suwannee River
12012 Charleston Blues
12013 Robin Adair
12014 A Pretty Girl— from Wang
12015 Sparkling Eyes
12016 Cordelia Polka
12017 Dark Blue Eyes
12018 Leonora Waltz
12019 Frankie Galop
This is from a mid-1897 catalog issued by the
Columbia Phonograph Company. Cylinder 12012
is "Charleston Blues/' deleted from catalogs by
1898. "Blues" here may only refer to a uniform's
color, but if it means sad, it has significance for
blues scholars. The sheet music, if found, may
establish what the "blues" in the title means.
Dunn, may have recorded only for the Kansas City
Talking Machine Company. The catalog lists a few
dozen Butts titles and states,
"Mr. Butts is so well known throughout the United
States and Canada as a soloist and chorus leader
for the leading Evangelists in the Evangelistic meet-
ings that he needs no introduction... He possesses
a marvelous voice, full, rich and resonant. His
reputation as a strong singer assures his records
being extremely loud, clearly enunciated and can
be heard a very long distance. Choice records for
concert work and religious gatherings."
Page 46
Hattie Nevada's most famous composition.
Butts recorded nearly one hundred titles,
and some fit his characterization as a singer of
religious songs, such as "The Ninety and Nine"
(4223) and "Nearer My God To Thee" (4225). But
he was a versatile singer, singing many comic
numbers, including "Beer, Beer, Glorious Beer"
(1233), "All Coons Look Alike To Me" (4247),
"Every Nigger Had A Lady But Me" (4242), "My
Girl's A Corker" (4208), and "A Convivial Man
(Laughing Chorus)" (4212).
I earlier mentioned a cassette of
K.C.T.M.C. recordings sent to V78I by Chuck
Haddix. On it are two selections sung by Butts:
"My Dad's The Engineer" and "Almost Persuaded."
Linnie Biggs may be the first female cor-
netist to make recordings. Listing over 20 Biggs re-
cordings, the catalog states, "These cornet solos are
the first we have ever listed as played by a female.
They possess the distinct tones of the cornet as
played by a master hand and with variations as
only can be made by an artist." Titles include
"Electric Polka" (1101) and "Surf Polka" (1107).
May C. Hyers was a female comic singer
whose versatility as a recording artist is remarkable.
The catalog states, "Miss May C. Hyers (one of the
Hyers Sisters) possesses a marvelous, rich and
powerful contralto voice of rare brilliancy. She is
so well known to the music loving public that we
need not more than announce her name as being
the maker of the list of records enumerated
below..." Titles include the comic "Pumpkin
Colored Coon" (204) and "Hot Coon From
Memphis" (237), the sentimental "Oh Promise Me"
(207) and "Ben Bolt" (230), the patriotic ""My
Father Was A Sailor On The Maine" (213), the
emotional "Take Back Your Gold" (222), and the
classic (for baritones!) "Chanson du Toreador" from
Carmen . She recorded "May Irwin's Frog Song"
(212) a decade before Irwin herself did.
Brown wax cylinders made by the Kansas
City Talking Machine Company are rare today.
Deakins reports that five machines were going
when titles were recorded, which suggests only
five copies of any one title were made (perhaps
singers repeated the most popular songs so more
copies were available for sale?). By the century's
turn, many would have been shaved for new or
home recordings. Many would have eventually
been destroyed by mold.
Dating the Catalog Through References to the
Spanish-American War
If the Kansas City catalog has a date in fine
print, my copy does not show it. It could not have
been printed before July 1898. A "descriptive"
cylinder performed by the Columbia Orchestra is
titled "Capture of Santiago." The Cuban city was
occupied by U.S. forces on July 17, 1898. It was
one of the key events of the Spanish-American
War, which ended on August 12.
Another "descriptive" cylinder is titled
"Charge of Roosevelt's Rough Riders," which refers
to the capture of San Juan Hill in Cuba shortly
before the battle for Santiago.
A third "descriptive" cylinder performed by
the Columbia Orchestra is titled "Battle of Manila"
and a fourth is titled "Speech of Commodore
Dewey Before the Battle of Manila." This battle
began on May 1, 1898. A related title is sung by
Dan W. Quinn: "What Did Dewey Do to Them?"
(5342). Quinn recorded this for Berliner on May
19, 1899, as "What Did Dewey Do?" Arthur
Collins' 1898 version is on Edison 5468.
Page 47
The contemporaneous event that inspired
the greatest number of popular songs listed in the
catalog was the sinking of the United States
battleship Maine , anchored at Havana, Cuba, on
February 15, 1898. Hattie Nevada's song "My
Father Was a Sailor on the Maine" is shown as
recorded by several artists. Nevada's composition
should not be confused with the more popular
"My Sweetheart Went Down With the Maine,"
composed by Bert Morgan and listed as a selection
sung by tenor Frank Butts.
Several songs refer to the ship. The song
"Remember the Maine" is listed as a Will F. Denny
selection. "The Wreck of the Maine" is listed as a
George J. Gaskin selection. "The Brave Crew of
the Maine" is a Dan W. Quinn selection. A
descriptive cylinder is titled "The Blowing Up of
the Maine-Very Realistic."
The catalog was printed in probably July,
August, or September 1898. I look in vain for
MOTHER GOOSE
The Toy Grapliophorte
sings and talks for the
little ones, reproduces
music and Mother Goose
melodies. Great thing for
the nursery.
COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH CO.,
NEW YORK, 143-145 Broadway.
Retail Branch, 1155, 1157, 1159 B'dw'y.
CHICAGO, 88 Wabasn avenue.
ST. LOUIS. 720-722 Olive St
WASHINGTON, 919 Pennsylvania Ave.
PHILADELPHIA, 1032 Chestnut St.
BALTIMORE, 110 E. Baltimore St.
BUFFALO. 313 Main St.
SAN FRANCISCO, 125 Geary St.
PARIS, 34 Boulevard des Italiens.
BERLIN, 55 Kronenstrasse.
Slip from a Will F. Denny brown wax cylinder.
The Kansas City Talking Machine Company
carried all Columbia products but is not listed
here because it was an independent firm.
other popular songs published in 1898 with the
exception of Braisted and Carter's "She Was Bred
in Old Kentucky," sung by George J. Gaskin
(41 66). Other 1 898 songs that I sought but did not
find listed include Gray's "She Is More To Be
Pitied Than Censured," Thornton's "When You
Were Sweet Sixteen," Cohan's "I Guess I'll Have to
Telegraph My Baby," Harry Von Tilzer's "My Old
New Hampshire Home," and Giefer's "Who Threw
the Overalls in Mistress Murphy's Chowder?" If
the catalog had been printed in late 1898, I would
expect one of these songs to be listed.
Consider that Victor Herbert's "Gypsy Love
Song" is not in the catalog. The song is from the
show J_he Fortune Teller , which opened on
September 26, 1898. Eugene Cowles recorded it
for Berliner on October 20, 1898 and presumably
Columbia would not have waited much longer.
References to "Rag Time"
The Kansas City catalog most resembles
the mid-1898 catalog put out by the Eastern
Talking Machine Company, which was Columbia's
New England headquarters. Whereas the 1897
catalog put out by the Columbia Phonograph
Company makes no reference to ragtime, the 1898
Eastern Talking Machine Company catalog makes
four references to the new music then gaining in
popularity. A Vess Ossman cylinder, #3830, is
called "Rag Time Medley," and I know from other
catalogs that the medley consisted partly of "All
Coons Look Alike To Me" and "Oh, Mr. Johnson."
The phrase "rag time" appears after two Len Spen-
cer titles: one is "You'll Have To Choose Another
Baby Now (rag time)," 7363; the other is "My Coal
Black Lady (a new hit in rag time)," 7420. A third
Len Spencer selection has "rag time" in its title:
"The Wench With The Rag Time Walk," 7422.
The Kansas City catalog also lists "The
Wench With The Rag Time Walk" (7422), "My
Coal Black Lady" with the added words that this is
"a new hit in rag time" (7420), and the Vess
Ossman number. It differs from the Columbia
catalog in that it fails to list "You'll Have To
Choose Another Baby Now (rag time)" but does
Page 48
NEW
Lambert Records
FOR
Phonographs or Graphophones
USING CYLINDER RECORDS.
Will Not Break
Will Not Wear Out
ORDER FROM
Kansas City Talking Machine Co,
KANSAS CITY, MO.
HANDS.
1022. Ainorellen Tjitizo.
f.GO. Charge of I he Red Hussars.
9 42. (Inmmcmorn t'on March.
832. DesrrlpHve Selection, Tn Chonlimd.
!Mo. Days of DM March.
1000. Dream JMid Kemember.
1029. Fl Capltan.
9^5. First SMccMon from the Toreador
1001. Final© of the Tannlintiscr Overture.
9. r »3. Hunting, Scene.
1019. Indian War Dance.
In Darkest Africa (Descrl|)tlve).
fi90. i, n Marearolo Waltz.
908. Dlbcrty Pell Mnrch.
1007. March of the Israelites.
102R. Morning. Nnnri and NIrM.
lOL'fi. Overture Znmpa.
Allen Koenigsberg sent this Lambert list of 1903.
add the phrase "popular rag time" to the title
"You've Been A Good Ole Wagon, But You're
Done Brown Down" (7309), sung by Len Spencer.
One other Spencer selection, "I Love My Little
Honey" (7311), is characterized as a "rag time
melody"-neither the 1897 Columbia nor the 1898
Eastern Talking Machine Company catalog shows
this as available.
In short, the Kansas City catalog refers to
ragtime five times and in each case "rag time" is
associated with Columbia selections. I had hoped
to find ragtime titles among the "original records"
since the company was in Kansas City, Missouri, a
state then giving birth to ragtime, with much
activity in Sedalia and St. Louis. Imagine Scott
Joplin traveling the short distance from Sedalia to
Kansas City to record his soon-to-be published
"Maple Leaf Rag"! Joplin was unknown in 1898,
but for him to travel to Kansas City in late 1899 to
record is more plausible. I concede that among
the artists who made "original" records in Kansas
City, none made solo piano recordings.
With evidence of a Kansas City dealer
making and selling by mid-1898 over a thousand
of its own cylinder titles, we have to acknowledge
that within the year a ragtime pioneer-perhaps
Joplin himself- could have made recordings.
Catalogs simply have not survived, and only a
fraction of the brown wax cylinders made in the
1890s exist today. We cannot know today every
artist who made "original" records for dealers in
cities such as Kansas City and San Francisco. Did
a St. Louis dealer make "original" records, and if
so, did ragtime pianist Tom Turpin make a few
cylinders? Again, we cannot know every artist
who made early recordings.
A Dozen Very Popular Songs of 1897-1898
I have identified a random dozen titles that
were made available in 1898 by Berliner, Edison,
Columbia and the Kansas City Talking Machine
Company (in the latter's case, in the form of
"original records"). A song had to be popular to
be offered by all four companies. In compiling
this list of twelve, I ignored warhorses such as
"Nearer My God To Thee" and "Swanee River,"
instead looking for songs that were wildly popular
but also were, within two or three years, no longer
fashionable, swept aside by new musical trends.
Here are a dozen truly popular songs in 1898,
with most having been published in 1896 or 1897:
1) Put Me Off At Buffalo
2) And The Parrot Said-
3) Pat Malone Forgot He Was Dead
4) All Coons Look Alike To Me
5) Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight
6) Take Your Clothes and Go
7) On The Banks Of The Wabash, Far Away
8) What Do You Think of Hoolihan?
9) Take Back Your Gold
10) Mr. Johnson, Turn Me Loose
11) Just Tell Them You Saw Me
12) The Blow Near Killed Father
Although "Silver Threads Among The
Gold" was possibly recorded by more artists than
any other popular song during the acoustic era, I
have seen no evidence of this 1873 Rexford and
Danks song being recorded in the 1890s. Richard
Jose seems to have been the first to record it. He
sang it for Victor on October 27, 1903. I could
compile a list of the hundred odd artists who
recorded it-again, nobody in the 1890s.
The Company's Fate?
I have no solid information about the last
Page 49
year in which the Kansas City Talking Machine
Company was in business. Allen Koenigsberg sent
to V78I a list of Lambert cylinders sold by the
company, which indicates it was active in 1903 or
so. Chuck Haddix sent xeroxed copies of
company correspondence, and one undated letter
shows the company was Kansas City's "sole
distributor" of American blue discs. This letter
must be circa 1905. Another letter shows that the
company was active-still at 425 Delaware St. (the
building was demolished long ago)--as late as July
29, 1910.
The first issue of V78I duplicates
Columbia's June 1, 1904 record supplement,
which gives the address for the Columbia
dealership in Kansas City as 1016 Walnut Street.
The Kansas City Talking Machine Company would
clearly have been a competitor. If any V78I reader
has more information about the company or owns
one of its brown wax cylinder, please drop a line.
PETER BACIGALUPI J. G. MACDONALD
Liaia, Peru «n<i South America Late MacilouaM^s Cracker Store,
II JO .Murltet Street
BflGIGfUUPI & MflGDONiUD
Phonographic • Arcade
644 HARKET STREET
CHRONICLE BUILDING
EXCLUSIVE CONCESSIONAIRES MIDWINTER FAIR.
Pl)onoorrapl)s § Cirapl)opl)ones For sSa te
_ - —
Batteries, Records, Outfits and all kinds of Supplies at Reduced Rates
■
Sole Agents for California, Spanish and South American Republics for the Chicago Talking
Machine Co. Agents for the introduction in Spanish Countries
of all kinds of American Inventions.
Peter Bacigalupi in San Francisco, like the K.C.T.M.C., made and sold "original" recordings. A copy
of this rare Bacigalupi business card was sent by Ray Wile. The best clue for dating it is the
reference to San Francisco's Midwinter Fair, which opened on January 4, 1894 and closed on July
4, 1894. It was sponsored by a newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, whose address was 644
Market St. (as in the card). David Banks examined old city directories and reports that Bacigalupi
is not in the 1894 edition. The 1895 edition was missing, but Bacigalupi is in the 1896 directory.
John Fletcher: From Sousa's Band
to Black Swan
by Allan Sutton
John Fletcher isn't a name normally bandied
about in discussions of recording industry pio-
neers. Compared to Edison or Berliner, his con-
tribution to the industry was small. Yet he was
typical of the many entrepreneurs who carved
small niches for themselves and, in passing, left
behind some interesting records.
Fletcher began his career as a professional
musician and was employed by Edison at some time
before the turn of the century. In a July 1918 inter-
view with The Talking Machine World, Fletcher re-
called, "My first phonographic experience was as a
player in the old Edison cylinder laboratory in
Orange, N.J., when you had to get up at 5 o'clock
in the morning, be on the job, in your chair, and ready
to play at 8 o'clock."
By approximately 1 900, Fletcher had moved on
to Sousa's band as a cornetist; he is almost certainly
the "— Fletcher" cited in Rust's collective personnel.
Fletcher recorded with the group for Victor and
remembered, "the band was engaged for three
weeks to make records for the Victor Company. At
the time, the company's laboratory consisted of a
small room on the third floor in a building in the
neighborhood of Tenth and Lombard streets, Phila-
delphia, and it was in this small room that I got my
first insight into the mysteries of sound recording."
Fletcher toured Europe with Sousa's band, then
joined the New York Symphony Orchestra upon his
return, but his growing interest in sound recording
soon eclipsed his musical aspirations. "During this
time," he told TMW, "I realized how imperfect were
the methods then in vogue to record symphonic
music with a few instruments, and I finally resolved
to devote my future career to recording the various
instruments comprising the grand orchestra, in suf-
ficient numbers to produce the musical sensation
9*9-4
Fletcher's patent application sketches comparing
his fine-groove steel-needle vertical cut (left) to
the sapphire-ball vertical cut (right).
caused by the combined tonality of such a large
number of instruments."
Fletcher eventually left the symphony and began
to experiment with recording, finally devising a fine-
groove vertical cut that could be played with an
ordinary steel needle. Fletcher's patent application
claimed his invention produced a record that "has
been found to be extremely durable in use," a claim
not supported by many of the surviving specimens.
The patent (#1,269,696) was eventually granted in
mid-1918, by which time Fletcher had abandoned
the process.
The Birth of Operaphone
In 1914, Fletcher, in partnership with George
Thomas, founded the Operaphone Manufacturing
Corp. of New York. A trademark application, filed
belatedly by Fletcher on September 1 3, 1 91 9, claimed
use of the Operaphone name on records begin-
ning March 1,1915. The new corporation opened
an office at 200 Fifth Avenue, New York, a studio
at an unknown New York location, and a pressing
plant at Creek and Meadow Streets in Long
Island City, New York.
Despite its name and Fletcher's lofty ambitions,
the Operaphone label featured primarily popular
and light classical fare. Its release lists for 1916
and 1 91 7 mirror those of the larger manufactur-
ers, and the company relied heavily on the usual
New York-area studio free-lance performers.
Operaphone initially produced 7" fine-groove
vertical discs bearing paint-filled incised labels
and selling for 250 each. By Fletcher's own
account it was a short-lived series, and the com-
pany quickly abandoned it in favor of 8" pressings
selling for 350, again with incised labels.
Fletcher erred by coupling dissimilar material
on his earliest releases — backing a current
vaudeville hit with a concert band selection, for
example— a mistake that Columbia had made
a few years earlier. He eventually relented and
in September 1916 announced that Operaphone
would seek more compatible couplings on
future releases. Fletcher assigned separate
numerical blocks by category to his 8" pressings:
1 600 (popular instrumental), 1 700 (concert instru-
mental), 1800 (standard and concert vocal), and
1900 (popular vocal).
In August 1 91 6, the company announced with
some fanfare that it was replacing its homely incised
labels with paper labels and noted that production
at the Operaphone pressing plant had tripled in
eight months. Fletcher entered the custom label
market, pressing 8" Operaphone discs under an
array of labels that included All Star, Elginola,
Crescent, and Domestic, and he arranged Cana-
dian distribution for Operaphone through the
Canadian Phonograph Co. of Toronto.
In the end, however, the 8" Operaphone disc
failed to catch on with the public. Despite Fletcher's
claims of technical superiority, thefine groove wore
badly and was too narrow for the average steel
needle, which tended to override adjacent grooves
and produce a disconcerting effect known as "pre-
echo."lnhis1918 r/WWinterview, Fletcher stated
that he produced 200 8" releases before abandon-
ing the effort, which "incurred tremendous expens-
es with returns that were hardly commensurate."
A 7" Operaphone pressing with incised label (above). By
August 1916, paper-labeled 8" pressings (below) were standard.
Fletcher Reorganizes Operaphone
In April 1 91 8, Fletcher reorganized his company as
the Operaphone Co., Inc., closing the studio and
moving his offices to the Depew Building (489 Fifth
Avenue, New York). The first Operaphone discs
issued under the new company's auspices were a
marked departure from the earlier 8" series: stan-
dard 1 0" steel-needle vertical cut discs using a nor-
mal-width groove. Less obvious was the fact that
Fletcher had gotten out of the recording business, at
least temporarily. With his studio closed, Fletcher
commissioned material from Pathe, which at that
time recorded its original masters on oversized
cylinders. The cylinders could then be dubbed in
various disc formats by means of the pantograph, a
mechanical transcribing device that introduced the
characteristic rumbling and clanking heard on acoustic
Pathe products.
Again, Fletcher assigned separate numerical
blocks: 31 00 (Hawaiian), 41 00 (dance music), 51 00
(popular vocals), 6100 (standard and concert vo-
cals) , and 71 00 (standard and concert instrumental).
All known releases in these series duplicated mate-
rial on Pathe's sapphire discs, although artists were
usually disguised by pseudonyms. In 1918, Fletch-
er stated that he was "planning to devote more
time to... the recording of the entire symphonic
repertoire," a plan that never materialized.
A final Operaphone series appeared in 1919.
Fletcher again turned to Pathefor his material, but
this time the masters were transcribed in univer-
sal-cut form under the Smallwood patent
(#639,452) , which at that time was owned by Victor
Emerson. The universal cut was an attempt to
combine a lateral and vertical groove into a format
that would play on any type of phonograph and, as
was the case with other universal-cut products,
many late Operaphone releases played poorly. As
before, all known issues duplicated material on
Pathe sapphire discs, although many were pseud-
onymous. Fletcher employed several label colors
and catalog series. Assuming that Fletcher was
paying royalties to Pathefor masters and to Emer-
son for use of the universal cut, his profit margin
on this last series must have been slim indeed.
The Operaphone-Olympic Transition
Operaphone's disappearance coincides neatly with
Pathe's entry into the lateral-cut market with its
own Actuelle brand. The last known Operaphone
discs were advertised in December 1920, and in
early 1 921 John Fletcher arranged to sell the Opera-
phone plant to a new venture, the Olympic Disc
Record Corp. The Talking Machine World
announced Olympic's formation in March 1 921
and advertised Olympic's f irst releases the follow-
ing April 1 5.
Olympic got off to a shaky start as a subsidiary
of the Remington Phonograph Corp. Philo E. Rem-
ington, president of the company and grandson of
the founder of the Remington firearms and type-
writer companies, apparently had plans to pro-
duce records prior to Olympic's creation. On July
20, 1920, he filed a trademark application for the
Reminola brand, claiming use on records since
May 5, 1 920, although the label doesn't seem to
have been produced commercially.
Fletcher, with his former Operaphone factory
standing idle, arranged to sell the plant to Olympic
and was retained in an unspecified "executive ca-
Operaphone
Records
Ten Inch Retail 75 cent*
The popular standard American cat-
alog dealers have been waiting for.
We know you must have records.
Operaphone Records follow the line of
least resistance, they play with steel
needle on all universal tone arm ma-
chines with sound box facing front.
Order direct from Long Island City
or from your machine jobber.
Send for our trial package assort-
ment including window display and
regulation catalog book.
Operaphone Co., Inc.
LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK
Announcement of the first Pathe-derived 10"
Operaphone series, from the Talking Machine World
for August 15, 1918.
pacity," according to The Talking Machine World.
Olympic recorded its own masters, and Fletcher's
hand in the operation was evident in his use of sep-
arate numerical series: 1 41 00 (popular vocal ), 1 51 00
(dance music), 16100 (Hawaiian), 17100 (standard
and light classical), 18100 (miscellaneous instru-
mental), 21 000 (religious) , and 21 1 00 (spoken word).
Although marketed as a premium-priced label,
Olympic offered only bland fare by the usual studio
free-lancers. Its technical quality was mediocre at
best, and with no big-name stars on its roster,
Olympic could not compete with Columbia, Victor,
and other high-priced labels. The last records re-
leased under the Olympic Disc Record Corp. im-
print appeared shortly before the parent Remington
Phonograph Corp. failed in December 1921.
Philo Remington attempted to reorganize as the
Remington Radio Corp. in 1 922, but suspended op-
erations after being indicted for stock fraud.
A later issue on the revived Olympic label (c. May 1923),
credited to the Fletcher Record Co., Inc.
The Fletcher Record Co.
With Remington out of the picture, Fletcher
attemptedto regaincontrol of Olympic. In April 1 922,
he purchased Olympic's trademark, masters, and
facilities in partnership with Harry Pace. Pace, a
pioneer black record producer, had introduced his
Black Swan label a year earlier. The label had
experienced tremendous growth and was unable
to keep up with the demand for pressings.
In a teaming of black and white businessmen
unprecedented for its day, Fletcher and Pace
formed the Fletcher Record Co., Inc., with Fletcher
as president and Pace as vice president and
treasurer. Initially, the company served only as a
studio and pressing plant for Black Swan, using
Fletcher's refurbished Operaphone-Olympic plant
at Long Island City. But on July 15, 1922, the
Talking Machine Wbr/dannounced, 'There is some
likelihood that in the early fall, Mr. Fletcher will
revive the Olympic label."
A new series of Olympic discs did indeed ap-
pear in the autumn of 1 922, under the Fletcher
Record Co. imprint. Numbered in 1400 (dance)
and 1500 (vocal) series, these Olympics featured
newly recorded material as well as reissues of
older Olympic masters, much of which was also
issued on Banner, Majestic, Melody, La Belle,
Oriole, Phantasie Concert Record, and other
minor brands.
Underthe Fletcher-Pace partnership, Fletcher took
over physical production of Black Swan, although
Pace continued to dictate artists and repertoire. Black
Swan's Harlem studio was closed, and recording
activities were moved to the Olympic studio. Pace
soon began to reissue material from the all-white
Olympic catalog on Black Swan, thus breaking his
1921 pledge to employ only black talent. Those
releases, still showing Olympic's telltale catalog
numbers in the wax, credited performances by
white band leaders Sam Lanin, Rudy Weidoeft,
and Irving Weiss to Pace's musical director, Fletch-
er Henderson, or were issued under other pseud-
onyms. White free-lance vocalists (including Al
Bernard, Aileen Stanley, and Arthur Hall, as well
as whistler Margaret McKee) were also represented
under assumed names. Perhaps the most blatant-
ly misleading issues were those credited to Ethel
Waters' Jazz Masters, which were actually the
work of the Van Eps and Palace Trios.
The End of Olympic
In the end, the Fletcher Record Co. failed. By early
1 923, Pace was nearly bankrupt, and Black Swan
suspended operations in July of that year, depriv-
ing Fletcher of a much-needed pressing customer.
The Olympic label bumbled along through the end
of 1 923, failing to make any inroads into an already
glutted market. The last Olympic discs issued under
the Fletcher Record Co. imprint appeared in
December 1 923, the month in which John Fletcher
declared bankruptcy.
The Olympic label was acquired by a Columbia
Music Roll Company (Chicago) and was produced
briefly by that company's Capitol Roll & Record
Company subsidiary, which put its imprint on a
handful of releases of unknown origin before aban-
doning the ill-fated label around mid-1924.
Allan Sutton is a free-lance author based in Aurora,
Colorado, and author of A Guide to Pseudonyms on
American Records (1892-1942) and Directory of
American Disc Record Brands and Manufacturers
(1891-1943), published by Greenwood Press.
©1996 by Allan Sutton. All rights reserved.
Editor's Comments
We have a new address: V78I , c/o Tim
Gracyk, 9180 Joy Lane, Granite Bay CA 95746-
9682. The journal is now edited outside of
Roseville, near horses and even llamas. I plan to
live here for a long time, which I mention since
some readers may recall that it was less than two
years ago that V78I moved to Roseville. If, out of
habit, you mail something to the old address, it
will be forwarded. The post office has always
been kind to V78l -at least I know of no mail
problems-so the move should not prevent V78I
from receiving any Ten Most Played list, article, or
comments sent by error to the old address.
My cyberspace address remains the same.
V78I has email ("tgracyk@garlic.com"), even a
homepage with phonograph articles ("http://www.
garlic.com/~tgracyk"). Every week I learn, via email,
that a few more V78I readers have cruised the
Internet. I encourage readers to send email
messages. I always reply.
TMW Books Available
This year I was able to borrow back issues
of Talking Machine World from August 1916 to
December 1929. After making copies at home, I
took the best pages to a printer for duplication and
binding. Various books are now available. I call
the series Pages From The Talking Machine World .
Of special interest to collectors of 78s are
TMW's "Advance Record Lists," sometimes called
"Record Bulletins," which announce companies'
new releases and the dates of release. To cover
the '20s, I made three books, each one duplicating
rare ads as well as TMW record lists. With R.J.
Wakeman's help, I wrote an introduction for the
books, giving background information about TMW.
The first '20s book of record lists is 250
pages and is subtitled "The Late Acoustic Era:
Records Issued From January 1920 to December
1924." Price is $20, or $23 postpaid.
The next in this '20s series is subtitled
"The Early Electric Era: Records Issued From
January 1925 to December 1927." It is as thick as
the book covering five years of the acoustic era,
which reflects the fact that companies rushed out
many electric discs to replace the old acoustic
catalog (of course, the acoustic recording process
was used for much of 1925). Price is $20, or $23
postpaid. If this is ordered in combination with
the "Late Acoustic" book, total price is $45 since
ordering two books saves on postage.
A third book is subtitled "The Late '20s:
Records Issued From January 1928 to December
1929." Thinner than the others, it is $14 ($17
postpaid). All three postpaid is $59.
Information comes in different forms-
letters, cassettes of rare recordings, xeroxed copies
of rare catalogs and supplements. V78I could not
survive without the willingness of others to
contribute as generously as they do.
Edgar Hutto sent not only a cassette of the
rare "Departure," which led to this issue's article
about Eldridge R. Johnson's first numbered disc (A-
1), but maps of Victor's Camden site, slides of
unusual labels, xeroxed copies of The Voice of the
Victor (Supplement) from 1931, original Zon-O-
Phone and American Records supplements. All of
this is material for future articles.
As I acknowledge in my Kansas City
Talking Machine Company article, Quentin Riggs
sent a copy of a fascinating brown wax cylinder
catalog. I soon let others know about my interest
in the Kansas City company and, with no delay,
Allen Koenigsberg sent valuable information as did
Chuck Haddix of the Marr Sound Archives at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City.
I had planned to publish by now my
article on Leon Douglass, who is best remembered
as Victor's first vice-president though other
contributions to the industry are as important. In
addition to interviews with Douglass' grandson
living in California, my sources include Douglass'
unpublished autobiography and Talking Machine
World articles. But an article on the multi-talented
inventor should not be rushed, as I was reminded
recently when Ray Wile sent information that
sheds new light on Douglass. Especially revealing
is a Douglass affidavit filed on June 9, 1899.
Wile also sent an 1894 Bacigalupi
business card duplicated earlier in this issue (see
page 49). There is a Douglass connection here
since he married into the Bacigalupi family.
More Will Oakland Information
An important part of Will Oakland's life
may have been slighted in the last V78I in
Oakland's entry from the in-progress Encyclopedia
Of Popular American Recording Pioneers .
Oakland's night-clubs in New York were only
vaguely alluded to. Alan Mueller sent evidence
that Will Oakland's Terrace at 5 1st St. & Broadway
was quite successful in the late '20s and early '30s.
He even sent a page from a 1929 ten-cent New
York tour book, The Official Metropolitan Guide.
featuring the ad duplicated above. Notice that the
Page 55
Hear
*J While '"New York
Be Sure to See
MOST AMAZING
PRODUCTION xit
51 »i STREET AMD BROADWAY
FOR RESERVATIONS PHONE CI RCLE- 1531 -9559 - «*407
All the Thrills of the Theatre
The Glorious Array of Beautiful Girls
at the Terrace are the talk of Broadway
WILL OAKLAND
FAMOUS RADIO STAR
!• There to Greet You with Song.
lacoaaparebU Dance Mealc by
LANDAU'S SERENADERS
Two Elaborate Revues
One at 7:30, the Other at 12:00
Each Program Distinctly Different
Smallest Cover Charge in New York for the Biggest Show
The $2.25 DINNER
•erred from 5:30
to 9:39 le aa-
eqnalled la the
city. A aioet
tempting mena of
■Dpper snffgeatii
U offered.
The last V78I featured Oakland's entry from the
nearly-complete Encyclopedia Of Popular
American Recording Pioneers . Look soon for
Henry Burr's entry. Look also for an article about
writer Jim Walsh. Do any readers have special
memories of Walsh to share?
club's band is Landau's Serenaders. On March 4,
1929, Mike Landau and His Oakland Terrace
Orchestra recorded two titles for Edison, "Deep
Night" and "Sugar Is Back In Town," issued as
Diamond Disc 52538.
Alan also sent a cassette of Oakland
singing "Macushla" on The Ed Sullivan Show in the
1950s. The Sullivan program had a nostalgic
theme; other guests included Blossom Seeley, Jack
Norworth, Benny Fields, and Helen Kane. The
cassette's reverse side features Billy Murray singing
on a 1942 National Barn Dance program. Among
other gems, he sings "We Did It Before (And We
Can Do It Again)" and a George M. Cohan
medley. I marvel at the rare material collectors are
able to put on cassette!
Cecil Dancer sent a copy of a letter, written
by Oakland in 1955, suggesting that in the 1950s
only 75 copies of Oakland's self-produced LP were
pressed. The singer sold copies by mail for $6.50.
Page 56
Elisabeth and William Wheeler
I have learned more about the Wheelers,
which helps the coming encyclopedia on recording
pioneers be more complete. In V78l 's 8th issue, I
wrote that Guy Marco's Encyclopedia Of Recorded
Sound In The United States was mistaken in saying
that William Wheeler died in 1 91 6. John Baldwin
of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, noticed that I did not
mention the actual date of Wheeler's death and
sent first a letter noting that the tenor died on May
25, 1967 (Bess died on December 7, 1971) and
then a package of Victor discs signed in 1963 by
the Wheelers.
The Wheeler home was a block away
when Baldwin moved to Cleveland Heights in
1961 (the year Jim Walsh wrote about the singers
in Hobbies) . Baldwin, who had known them since
1952, collected autographs during a 1963 visit,
then wrote about that visit for Hillandale News
(December 1965), calling them "the first husband-
wife team to record." Actually, I believe the first
team was Ferruccio Corradetti and Bice Adami,
who recorded duets in 1901 in Milan for Berliner.
John Baldwin visited the Wheelers in 1963. They
were happy to sign discs but were more inter-
ested in talking about recent times and the
students they trained than the old recording days.
Cassettes
My daughter Emma is now an energetic
toddler. A son, Andrew George Gracyk, was born
on November 11, 1996. More and more 78s are
packed in boxes and placed where no child can
get at them, the disadvantage being that dad
cannot get at them as easily as before. I find that
listening to cassettes is a most convenient way of
hearing old 78s. I am always happy when readers
send cassettes of music. A few have spontaneously
sent tapes with Ten Most Played lists. I'll soon be
able to reciprocate since I'm putting some favorite
78s on a master tape. Send me a tape of your
favorite acoustic-era music and I'll send you mine!
I was especially happy in recent months to
listen to cassettes sent by David Rocco (I now *
better appreciate Will F. Denny), by Doug Olds
(rare 52000 Diamond Discs), by Jim Barr (recent
auction winnings of Orthophonic discs), and by
George M. Meiser (recordings from 1925 of
accordionist Anthony Monde, who was from
Meiser's hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania).
Brian Rust on "Jass"
The last V78I , when mentioning Ed
Sprankle's piano rolls from the 'teens with "jass" in
the title, wrongly stated that two songs were from
shows and were even the names of shows. That
must be corrected. The songs are "Hawaiian
Butterfly" and "Hong Kong," recorded by several
artists in 1917 but most notably by Prince's
Orchestra, the two songs issued back-to-back in
July 1917 on one superb Columbia disc.
The disc wonderfully captures the spirit of
1917: it is a dance record that exploits the "jass,"
Hawaiian, and "Oriental" crazes of that year. My
copy characterizes "Hawaiian Butterfly" as a "'Jazz'
One-Step" and "Hong Kong" as a fox trot medley
that introduces "Everybody Loves A 'Jass' Band."
I also like the songs as issued by Edison. Blue
Amberol 3228 is titled "'Jass' One-Step," which is
"Hong Kong" arranged for dancing.
Brian Rust wrote recently, "'Hawaiian But-
■
Page 57
terfly' was not a show, nor was 'Hong Kong.' Both
were songs that were sometimes described as 'Jazz
One-Step' or 'Jazz Fox Trot' although no such
description is on any of the records I have of
either. Both were recorded by Prince's Band on
Columbia A-5967 (recorded March 30 and April 6,
1917, respectively) but neither is described [in
logs?] in terms of 'Jazz.' When 'Hong Kong' was
issued in England on Columbia 767 at the end of
1919, however, it was described as a Jazz One-
Step. 'Hawaiian Butterfly' was not referred to by
English Columbia as a Jazz Fox Trot when issued
on Columbia 694. It seems odd that the
description should have been applied to the titles
in the Copyright Office files, especially as they are
shown as from non-existent shows!"
What is the difference between a "jazz
one-step" and a one-step? Or a "jazz fox trot" and
a fox trot? None, as far as I know! I wonder if
any 1917 title was marketed as a "jazz waltz"?
Voice Of The Victor Reprints
Having completed his mission of reprinting
in 14 bound volumes the trade publication Edison
Phonograph Monthly from 1903 to 1916, Wendell
Moore is reprinting a few of Victor's trade journal.
The July 1918, March 1919 and April 1919 issues
of J_he Voice Of The Victor are available at $10
each (postpaid). These are good quality reprints,
duplicated in the original large-size format. Covers
are done in color. Since originals are very rare,
Victor enthusiasts should celebrate when reprints
become available.
Edited by Ernest Johns, the trade journal
has been useful to researchers eager to identify
when models were introduced and when machines
were modified. Information is given about Victor
artists although some claims are dubious, such as
this from the July 1918 issue's "Musical Gossip"
column: "Absolutely deaf people can hear Charles
Kellogg's bird voice, according to the great bird
singer himself, who also says that the same is true
of his Victor records."
Write to Wendell Moore at 13278 Grey-
wood Circle, Fort Meyers FL 33912. Or call (941)
768-5463. Ask for his list of various reprints.
Other Trade Monthlies
Victor's and Edison's trade publications
seem to be best known among collectors. Other
companies had house organs to keep company
dealers informed about new developments and
motivated for making sales. Does anyone own
copies of other trade monthlies?
Col umbia's house organ, Columbia Record,
was edited in the 'teens by Myron D. Townsend.
I assume few copies exist today. Talking Machine
World announced in April 1917 that Columbia's
house organ was being issued in a larger format
(nine by twelve inches) than in previous years.
The March 1918 issue of TMW states that the
Columbia Record had been published for "several
years," was "discontinued some time ago" (in the
spring of 1917?), and made its reappearance as a
four-page newspaper in March 1918. I would love
to examine sample pages of this house organ. I
also suspect, from TMW's description of the March
1918 issue, that this house organ only gives the
kind of information already available in TMW-how
to make window displays effective, what new
records are available, and so on.
In June 1 91 7, TMW announced the debut
of Columbia's Peptimist . edited by Paul Haydn. A
"peptimist" is a salesman with "speed and pep-he
radiates enthusiasm and encouragement."
Emerson's organ, Emerson Spotlight , made
its debut in February 1918, according to TMW. In
1 91 9 the Emersonian was the company's organ, its
early issues announcing new disc sizes.
; R. J. Wakeman's Brunswick history (look
for another installment in the next V78I ) states that
in November 1921 the company began a phono-
graph house organ, The Brunswick Dispatch . The
first issue contained some 20 pages. Later, Bruns-
wick's house organ was called Brunswick Topics .
I will soon duplicate the cover of Volume II, Num-
ber 6. I have not seen the actual issue-simply put,
its cover made the cover of TMW in May 1928.
Ten Favorite Vocal 78s - In Chronological Order
By Gary A. Lynch
1) John McCormack-"Ben Bolt" (Victor 747;
recorded 1914 but reissued in 1923 with "Will
You Remember Me?" on the "A" side). My favorite
McCormack record, perhaps because he was never
in better voice. He sings the tearjerker with the
proper amount of sweetness and melancholy. It's
hard to give this one or the following selection the
nod over "My Wild Irish Rose," however.
2) John McCormack-"Adeste Fideles" (Victor
74436; 1915). A Christmas record for the ages.
The tenor re-recorded it when the electrical era
began, but this 1915 version has more beauty and
charm. The record jacket of an LP that I bought
long after acquiring the 78 states, "This has been
placed at the end of the disc so that it can be
played at the collector's whim, whether seasonal
or not. William Hooley is the fine basso singing
the harmony of the second verse."
3) Irving Kaufman~"Sleep" (Vocalion 14716;
1 923). Picking a Kaufman favorite is difficult since
there are so many to choose from. This is the one
I play the most. This version includes the verse as
well as the famous refrain.
4) The Happiness Boys-" I Miss My Swiss" (Victor
19718; 1925). Of all of Jones and Hare's
merriment making, this is their finest achievement.
The "B" side is "As a Porcupine Pines for Its Pork."
5) The Revelers-"The Blue Room" (Victor 20082;
1 926). Another "B" side that is wonderful, not that
"Valencia" on the "A" side is in any way poor.
Rodgers and Hart never sounded better.
6) Ernestine Schumann-Heink-"Stille Nacht,
Heilige Nacht" (Victor 6723, backed by
"Weihnachten"; released 1928). "Silent Night" was
recorded in 1926 when Madame was 65, and
"Weihnachten" (or "Christmas") was made in 1 927.
Both are indomitable achievements that command
the listener's attention.
7) Reinald Werrenrath-" Among my Souvenirs"
(Victrola 1310, backed by "The Song is Ended";
1928). Another early electrical record which has
good songs charmingly sung by a stellar baritone.
8) Bing Crosby-"When the Blue of the Night
Meets the Gold of the Day" (Brunswick 6226;
1931). Just about anything Crosby recorded for
Brunswick is worth a listen and many are classics.
This early version of his theme song is a diamond
whereas the remake for Decca years later is just
zirconium. Eddie Lang's guitar support is
delightful and so is Bing's whistling.
9) Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians-"Begin
the Beguine" (Decca 29196 backed by "In the Still
of the Night"; 1944). Cole Porter, Waring, and the
Pennsylvanians are immortalized here. Arrangers
Leo Arnaud and Roy Ringwald also deserve some
credit. Waring never topped this achievement.
These selections give choral music a good name.
10) Nelson Eddy-" Rejoice, Ye Pure in
Heart'V'Sun of my Soul" (Columbia 17386D;
1947). All recordings on the album Hymns We
Love are spine tingling, but this is my favorite of
the ten sides. After Eddy triumphantly sang three
parts in the Disney classic The Whale Who
Wanted To Sing At The Met , Columbia had him
sing these selections in four-part harmony. To
quote the album notes, "Having Mr. Eddy sing all
four parts is not presented here as a stunt or trick
device. ...it was discovered how well Mr. Eddy
could sing with himself..."
Gary A. Lynch lives in Los Angeles.
Send your Ten Most Played list There is room in the coming issue!
Ten Most Played Blues 78s - by Tom Ball
1) Sonny Terry: "Train Whistle Blues" (Columbia
41 7M). Sonny starts off by playing Henry
Whitter's "Lost Train Blues," then takes it into
uncharted waters. A harmonica tour-de-force from
1 938, accidentally released in Columbia's classical
series as by "Sanders Terry, harmonica player."
2) Johnny Shines: "Brutal Hearted Woman" (JOB
1010). Consummate 1953 Chicago blues featuring
stunning slide guitar and hair-raising vocal by
Shines, with Walter Horton's fat and warm harp
sound. What kind of amps were these guys using?
3) Lord lere: "Baseball Players" (Sagomes 156).
Astute late-'40s Trinidad calypso treatise on Jackie
Robinson and baseball. Sample lyric: "I'd rather
go to war and dead/Than to get a baseball bat in
me head."
4) Salty Holmes: "I Found My Mama" (London
663). The most amazing example of talking
harmonica ever waxed.
5) Willie Nix: "Just Can't Stay" (Sabre 104).
Chicago blues from 1953, with driving rhythm and
fine musicianship. Willie's gal exhorts him to "put
somethin' on the bar 'scusin' your elbows..."
6) Blind Willie Johnson: "Dark Was The Night,
Cold Was The Ground" (Columbia 14343-D).
Justifiably famous, chill-inducing slide-guitar
masterpiece. Perfect.
7) Sherman "Blues" Johnson And His Clouds Of
Joy: "Lost In Korea" (Trumpet 190). Bizarre war-
themed blues, punctuated by cheesy machine-gun
and mortar sound effects, which were overdubbed
by Sam Phillips. Also features 20-year-old Phineas
Newborn, Jr. on piano.
8) Harmonizing Four: "In Jerusalem" (Vee Jay
871). Warning: Jimmy Jones' bass singing may
loosen your fillings.
9) Sheriff John: "Laugh And Be Happy." Boomers
who grew up out west should recall this guy as the
m id-'50s host of Sheriff lohn 's Fun Brigade on local
TV. This is the theme. Hot accordion, amazingly
stupid lyrical content.
10) R. Crumb And His Cheap Suit Serenaders:
"Christopher Columbus"/"My Girl's Pussy" (Red
Goose 2026). Some might call "technical foul"
since this was recorded in 1978 but it ]s a 78, and
a fine double-sided one to boot. Kudos to Crumb
and gang!
Tom Ball is a musician, writer and record
collector based in Santa Barbara, California. He
is author of Blues Harmonica and J_he Nasty
Blues, published by Centerstream Publishing. He
records for Flying Fish/Rounder.
In his last item, Tom Ball raises the issue of
cheating. May one list a 78 made in the 1970s?
Sure! Here is another R. Crumb 78.
Ten Of My Favorite 78s -- By Ron Pendergraft
1) Rudy Vallee: "As Time Goes By" (Victor 22773-
A; recorded 7/25/31). It always puzzled me that
this song did not become popular until 1 943 when
it was featured in Casablanca . Rudy Vallee must
have smiled in 1943 when Victor reissued, as 20-
1526-A, his 1931 recording.
2) Rudy Vallee: "My Cigarette Lady" (Victor
22672-B; recorded 4/8/31). When young, I heard
Vallee recordings, listened to his radio shows, and
saw him in movies, but I never fully appreciated
him until years later. His three books- Vagabond
Dreams Comes True (1 930), My Time Is Your Time
(1962), and Let The Chips Fall... (1 975)-helped me
understand how talented and varied an entertainer
he was. His change from national heart throb to
comedian was remarkable. "My Cigarette Lady,"
though unusual, is a lovely ballad.
3) Gus Arnheim and His Orchestra: "One Sweet
Kiss" (Victor 22056-B; recorded 4/19/29). The
vocalist is Buster Dees. This song is from a movie
musical released in August of 1929, Say ]t With
Songs , starring Al Jolson.
4) The Troubadours: "Dream Kisses" (Victor
21000-B; recorded 9/8/27). Nat Shilkret and his
group come off well with this very clean and
straightforward arrangement of an obscure song of
the '20s. I like the crisp banjo solo!
5) Ray Noble and His New Mayfair Orchestra:
"Love Is The Sweetest Thing" (Victor 24333-A;
recorded in Europe on 9/8/32). The vocalist is the
great Al Bowlly, one of my favorites as well as my
wife's favorite singer.
6) Benny Goodman Trio: "Too Good To Be True"
(Victor 25324-A, recorded 4/27/36). This Clay
Boland composition is from the Mask and Wig
Club's 48th annual production, Red Rhumba . For
me, vocalist Helen Ward is the ultimate swing
singer. She swings from note to note and does it
in a sultry style.
7) Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Orpheans:
"Room Five-Hundred-And-Four" (British Columbia
FB 2579; recorded 2/12/41). The vocalist is Anne
Lenner, about whom I wrote in a previous issue of
V78I . Here is one of Lenner's late recordings (she
retired in the early '40s). I generally prefer the
early Lenner records because I love songs of the
early to mid '30s, but "Room 504" is remarkable
for capturing the mood of the early WWII period.
It is about hasty romances, air raids, an uncertain
future, loved ones going off to war.
8) Bing Crosby: "Beautiful Girl" (Brunswick 6694;
recorded 9/27/33). An excellent example of Bing's
relatively early singing style, with a husky quality
and sense of urgency. This was before he changed
to the mellow and relaxed style so noticeable in
the late '30s and the '40s. It is an obscure tune
from Bing's 1933 film Going Hollywood .
9) Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra: "By
Special Permission of the Copyright Owners, I
Love You" (Victor 22632-B, recorded 2/16/31).
The vocalist is Chick Bullock. The title caught my
attention, sounding like it had to be from a show.
In fact, it is from The Gang 's All Here, which
opened on Broadway on February 18, 1931.
10) Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra:
"What's Keeping My Prince Charming?" (Victor
2271 0-A; recorded 5/14/31). This is also from a
Broadway musical, Rhapsody in Black, which
opened on May 4, 1931 and featured Ethel Waters.
Welcome Lewis, the vocalist here, does a great
job. I wish I knew more about Welcome.
ONE EXTRA DISC: Ray Noble and His New May-
fair Orchestra: "I'll Follow My Secret Heart" &
"Nevermore" (Victor 24749; recorded 2/22/34).
Both sides of this disc are from Noel Coward's
Conversation Piece . The disc became a favorite in
an unusual way. I had been using it for breaking
in new Tungs-tone needles but the music grew on
me. Now I use another disc for needle training.
My Ten Most Played 78s -- By Kai-Uwe Garrels
1) Richard Tauber: "La Danza" (Odeon 0-4852;
1937). My favorite record of my favorite singer-
sung in German. If you are tired of hearing Tauber
sing "You Are My Heart's Delight" and wish to
sample something new, try this one.
2) Whispering Jack Smith: "Loud Speakin' Papa
(You'd Better Speak Easy To Me)" (Czech Gramola
2333; 1926). I share Marlene Dietrich's
admiration for the "Whispering Baritone." Even
Smith's loud-speaking papa does not speak above
a whisper.
3) Alfred Beres Orchestra: "Eine Kleine
Sehnsucht'V'lm Rosengarten von Sanssouci"
(Ultraphon A554; 1930). The vocalist here is
Walter Jurmann, who later composed film scores
such as San Francisco . He sings these corny songs
without all that would-like-to-be-a-tenor-but-
cannot-manage-to of German "Refrainsanger."
4) Byron G. Harlan: "In The House Of Too Much
Trouble" (Edison cylinder 7731; 1901). One of
my "160s" (instead of one of my "78s"), this
cylinder never fails to stun friends since its
reproduction quality is so much better than discs
of that early period. Along with marveling at the
sound quality, I enjoy the singer and song.
5) Dame Clara Butt: "The Lost Chord" (Columbia
7301; 1917). Zarah Leander's voice, billed as
"counter alto" in reissues, cannot compare with
Dame Clara's. I love both of them but prefer the
latter for classical and semi-classical works.
6) Beniamino Gigli: "Quanno'a femmena vo"
(Electrola CD 763; 1926). This is not Gigli the
opera singer but Gigli the jovial Italian.
7) Jeanette MacDonald with The Revelers: "March
of the Grenadiers" (Electrola EG 1861; 1929). Not
my only record of Jeanette MacDonald and not my
only one of the Revelers-but a record that
combines the two perfectly.
8) Count John McCormack: "The Vacant Chair"
(HMV DA 475; 1915). I think I read somewhere-
but cannot recall where-that this ends with
McCormack's highest recorded note, but I like all
the other notes sung here just as wel
9) Rosetta Ferlito: "Tic-ti, tic-ta" (Electrola EG
3190; 1934). Knowing nothing about this Italian
singer, I appreciate this record for its italianiti as
well as the unnamed Stan Laurel-voiced tenor who
joins Ferlito.
10) Rosita Serrano: "La Paloma" (Telefunken
2563; 1938). The Chilean nightingale Serrano is
sparkling here; even her Decca version will do.
Kai-Uwe Garrels lives in Kiel, Germany. He writes
to V78I about an on-going series being broadcast
on German TV. Called Belcanto, it combines old
films with recent interviews of contemporaries of
the singers being profiled, with singers including
Tauber, Melchior, Slezak, Schipa and Thill. The
show's producers even tracked down someone
who, at the age of four, was once held by Caruso
during a newsreel photo session!
HIS MASTWS VOiCC
'. '^ > * *i 9prto Mm M Mm mty Stall 1
Victrola
Tenor and Male Chorus 5
with orchestra and celesta a
The Vacant Chair
(Geo. F. Root-Washburn)
John McCormack
64499
McCormack sings his highest on this?
My Ten Favorite Nick Lucas 78s
By Michael R. Pitts
In the past 30 years I have been able to collect
most Nick Lucas recordings made between 1922
and 1980. What follows is a chronological list of
the Lucas discs I listen to most often.
1) "I Might Have Known" (Brunswick 2940;
recorded June 1925). One of a number of tunes
that Nick Lucas composed, this song beautifully
showcases Nick's vocal ability as well as his guitar
work.
2) "If You Hadn't Gone Away'V'Brown Eyes-Why
Are You Blue" (Brunswick 2961; recorded
September 1925). These two songs are equally
good, and it is easy to understand why this record
was so popular. Nick re-recorded "Brown Eyes-
Why Are You Blue" in 1956 for Cavalier and again
in 1967 as a 45 RPM single for Accent Records.
3) "Let Me Live and Love You Just For To-Night"
(Brunswick 3283; recorded June 1926). Lucas co-
wrote this with pianist Sammy Stept, who
accompanies on the disc. The hit side of this
record was "Looking At The World Thru Rose
Colored Glasses," a song Nick re-recorded several
times and used as the opener for stage shows.
4) "Rosy Cheeks" (Brunswick 3518; recorded
March 1927). Another fast paced love song
highlighting Nick's singing and guitar playing. It is
a cute song and did make the "A" side, but at the
time of the record's release Brunswick seemed to
promote the reverse side, "Underneath the Stars
With You."
5) "Among My Souvenirs'V'Blue Heaven"
(Brunswick 3684; recorded October 1927). This is
the first Lucas record I ever heard and it made me
a Nick Lucas fan in 1962. I wondered what had
happened to him. I found out quickly-two weeks
later I saw him on Lawrence Welk's TV show.
6) "My Tonia'V'The Song I Love" (Brunswick
4141; recorded December 1928). I like both
songs equally. The first was sung by Warner
Baxter in the 1929 movie In Old Arizona . Lucas
told me in 1976 that he wanted to re-record it
since he thought it would sell well again.
7) "My Song of the Nile" (Brunswick 4464;
recorded August 1929). A beautifully romantic
song which Lucas performs in great style. It too is
from a 1929 film, Drag, starring Richard
Barthelmess.
8) "I Miss A Little Miss" (Brunswick 4987;
recorded November 1930). Here is a wonderful
little number on which Nick is accompanied by
"His Crooning Troubadours." The flip side
featuring the Walter Donaldson tune "You're
Driving Me Crazy" was the hit.
9) "For All We Know"/"Moon Glow" (Perfect
13025; recorded August 1934). Lucas provides
deft vocals on these. Also issued on the ARC
labels Banner, Oriole, Melotone and Rex.
10) "Teardrops" (Cavalier; recorded 1954).
Recorded some 30 years after Lucas had his first
Brunswick hit ("My Best Girl"), this lilting tune
showcases the beauty of Lucas' voice. This was
also included on his two Cavalier LPs. The flip
side of the single is "Coquette," a Brunswick hit for
Lucas in 1929.
Michael R. Pitts lives in Chesterfield, Indiana. He contributed a Wendell Hall entry to the coming
Encyclopedia Of Popular American Recording Pioneers . That entry will soon appear in V78I .
■
My Top Ten List By Matt Mintzell
1) Clarence Williams' Blue Five: "Mandy, Make
Up Your Mind" (Okeh 40260; 1924). The Louis
Armstrong-Sidney Bechet duet after the vocal
(Bechet is on sarrusophone) is one of the finest
sounds in jazz history.
2) Pine Top: "Every Day I Have The Blues"
(Bluebird B-6125; 1935). This features not only
Pine Top Sparks' beautiful piano and fine vocal
(compare his vocal with Alan Wilson's of Canned
Heat) but Henry Townsend's stinging guitar. This
is a two-sided hit, the reverse being Walter Davis
performing "Santa Claus," with Townsend's guitar
on this as well.
3) "Banjo" Ikey Robinson & His Bull Fiddle Band:
"My Four Reasons"/" Rock Me Mama" (Brunswick
7059; 1 929). Great tunes graced by the fine banjo
of Ikey, the wonderful string bass of Bill Johnson
(who makes many late '20s Vocalion-Brunswick
blues sides swing), and the irrepressible singing of
Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon.
4) The Hokum Boys: "We Don't Sell It Here No
More" (Brunswick 7070; 1929). A gem with great
lyrics: "Went to a danceA/Vanted to scream/Instead
of selling gin/They sold ice cream!.. .Can't sell
white corn/Can't sell red/Gotta sell plain ginger-ale
instead." Georgia Tom Dorsey and Bob Robinson
provide the great vocal, with fine piano (as always)
from Tom and nice guitar by Ikey Robinson.
5) Sam McGee: "Knoxville Blues" (Vocalion 5101;
1 926). One of the greatest guitar performances on
record. 'Nuff said.
6) The Get-Happy Band: "Harlem's Araby"
(Columbia 14091-D; 1925). The great soprano sax
is supplied by Sidney Bechet. Co-written by the
young Fats Waller.
7) Pinetop Burks: "Fannie Mae Blues'V'Sundown
Blues" (Vocalion 04107; 1937). Beautiful rolling
Texas boogie blues piano makes this one swing.
8) Bessemer Sunset Four: "I Want To Go Home
To See My Lord"/"l Feel Like My Time Ain't Long"
(Vocalion 1650; 1930). One of many great
African-American a cappella gospel quartets to
record in the '20s and '30s.
9) Uncle Dave Macon: "Uncle Dave's Beloved
Solo" (Vocalion 5001; 1926). A fine banjo solo
here, a nice rendition of "Rock of Ages."
10) Harlem Hamfats: "She's A Mellow Mother For
You" (Decca 7262; 1936). I've always enjoyed
trumpeter Herb Morand's playful bantering behind
Joe McCoy's vocal: "Joe, you better hush!/Mud
Dauber.. .hush!" Just an all around fun record.
BONUS DISC: Rev. F.W. McGee: "Women's
Clothes" (Victor 23296; 1929). One of the great
sermon records of all time-on a topic that never
grows stale! The group truly rocks after the
wonderful preaching.
Matt Mintzell lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.
CLARENCE WILLIAMS
[Exclusive OKeh Artist)
Matt's list opens with Clarence Williams.
New Book:
Columbia Phonograph Companion: Volume
By Robert W. Baumbach (With Mac Lackey)
Stationary X-Press (ISBN 0-9606466-2-4)
Reviewed By Tim Gracyk
Subtitled "The Columbia Disc
Graphophone and the Grafonola/' here is the book
that does for Columbia disc machines what the
outstanding Look For The Dog does for Victor
talking machines. Most of its pages identify
Columbia models but the book offers much more.
The main title, Columbia Phonograph Companion,
reminds me of J_he Edison Cylinder Phonograph
Companion , written by George Frow and also
published by Baumbach. The emerging pattern-a
Phonograph Companion series-makes me wonder
whether we can expect a Brunswick Phonograph
Companion, Sonora Phonograph Companion, or
Off-Brand Phonograph Companion. Baumbach
does indicate plans for a book on the Capehart
Automatic Phonograph Company.
The complex Columbia story is told from
different perspectives in this book's opening pages.
Collectors interested only in model identification
might skip over such introductory "extras," but this
rich material may justify the book's cost for those
who own no or few Columbia machines.
Reprinted from the ARSC journal is a
superb Ray Wile essay about how the American
Graphophone Company entered the disc market.
Wile is able to give detailed information-about
Joseph W. Jones' patents for cutting discs, John C.
English's Burt Company, the Globe Record
Company, Eldridge R. Johnson's acquisition of
Globe and subsequent arrangement with the
Graphophone Company-because Wile has studied
court case files, among other documents. There is
no better way to learn how the industry developed
a century ago than to study the testimony of com-
pany executives sworn to tell the truth in court.
Court testimony is certainly more reliable
than histories penned by company executives.
Consider the account titled "A Short History of the
Talking Machine Industry," written around 191 4 by
Columbia treasurer Marion Dorian and reprinted
here on pages 35 to 47. It pays tribute to Edward
D. Easton, cited as "the first man in the world to
offer talking machines for use, sale, or rental," with
Bell and Tainter also given credit for developing
the industry. Thomas Edison is never mentioned.
Accompanying the Wile essay is a
photograph of Joseph W. Jones. References to his
important 1901 patents for disc recording remind
me that the inventor made various contributions to
the field-even the Jones Motrola, the electric
device that fits into the side of a machine and
winds a spring at the press of a button. By 1924,
Jones, as president of the Radio Improvement
Company, had abandoned phonographs for radio.
Other "extras" make this 257-page book as
meaty as Look For The Dog . Quoted from a 1912
issue of The Talking Machine World are the words
spoken at a 25th anniversary dinner by three men
who helped shaped Columbia, with Victor H.
Emerson's speech being especially noteworthy.
Also "extra" are eight pages on Columbia radios.
I never complain when a book gives more than
promised by its title-radios are not Graphophones
or Grafonolas-but I am curious if these are aj] the
Columbia radios or just some .
Drawings and photographs of Columbia's
many models are wonderfully reproduced. The
book's overall design is attractive and the
organization is admirable.
Detailed information is given about
machines. Consider the opening sentence of the
paragraph on the Sterling, or Bl: "Advertised as the
first Columbia to offer the Aluminum Tone Arm,
this machine had a nine petal Nickel floral horn
with 22" bell and Analyzing reproducer." The
Sterling paragraph goes on to give more details.
Page 65
Some modifications made to a model after
its introduction are noted. Baumbach notes that
the Sterling, introduced in 1905, was modified in
1908 when a double-spring motor replaced a
triple-spring motor. I am curious whether the
Analyzing reproducer was stiM provided with the
machine in 1908, which I mention since I have
seen #6 reproducers on Sterlings. The short repro-
ducer section does not establish when the #5 and
#6 were introduced (incidentally, what is called
the "New Columbia Phonograph Reproducer" on
page 52 is called the #12 in the June 1923 issue of
Talking Machine World) . I wish differences
between reproducers had been defined.
I cannot say whether all modifications
made to all machines are noted. But with this
book's publication, collectors can study their
machines and report variations to Baumbach.
I am not concerned about a few omissions
since this Columbia book will be revised and
expanded. Baumbach states on page x, "The
author actively solicits comments and additions to
the information in this book for use in future
editions." We can judge from the number of times
Baumbach has revised and expanded Look For The
Dog, now in a 5th edition, that he is sincere in
asking for collectors' comments. But do not wait
for an expanded Columbia book since this first
edition is relatively complete and very impressive.
The year in which a machine was
introduced is cited but not the year of discontinu-
ation. Such information is nowhere available, and
Baumbach wisely chose to be silent rather than
guess at discontinuation dates. Even a few dates of
introduction are missing, presumably because
some dates could not be determined by the time
this book went to press. The Model 900 is given
no introduction date. Talking Machine World
shows that it was introduced in 1927, probably in
August. I have never seen a Model 900.
It is difficult to fault the book for overlook-
ing a few models that never sold well and were
not widely advertised. I know about some models,
or at least numbers, being overlooked only
because I study Talking Machine World, and a few
of these model numbers possibly existed in
advertisements only. Columbia employed a
confusing array of names and numbers, perhaps at
times changing numbers for reasons meaningful
only to the company, not the buying public.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that when
Columbia for a short time used model numbers
that indicated dollars needed to buy a phonograph
(two examples are the No. 75 and No. 85, which
cost $75 and $85, respectively-they are the same
except the higher number has an electric motor),
the company soon had, as Baumbach states, "the
same phonograph with several different names."
Missing are three Viva-tonal models that
Talking Machine World shows were introduced in
late 1927: the Portable Model 160 ($50); the
Model 602 ($90-the TMW drawing appears close
to what Baumbach shows is the Model 603); and
Model 71 1 ($1 75-the TMW drawing is identical to
what Baumbach shows as Model 710). Other
portables missing are the No. 118, No. 125, and
The "New Columbia-Kolster Viva-tonal/' Model
900, was nicknamed "The Electric Reproducing
Phonograph." List price was $475.
Page 66
r
No. 175. Again, drawings of these in TMW
suggest these portables were identical to portables
that Baumbach does include. Also missing is the
Model 950, a combination of the Kolster Radio
Receiving Set with an "electric phonograph."
Introduced in early 1929 at $450, it is housed in
a writing cabinet and is like no other model. Does
any reader own a 950?
Just as I anticipate that omissions will be
addressed in future editions of this book, so I look
forward to seeing improvements in proofreading.
Erratic punctuation, missing apostrophes, run-on
sentences, and its/it's errors are slightly distracting.
"Authoritative" is misspelled on the book's dust
jacket, a bad omen. A worm drive governor is
called "worn" instead of "worm" on a couple of
pages. Words are missing in some sentences.
Page 160 announces that a machine's price "was
raised to $125, then reduced to $1 50"-something
is amiss. Eric Reiss's book is called The Complete
Talking Machine here but Reiss in fact calls it
Compleat . Howard Hazelcorn's A Collector's
Guide Jo Ihe Columbia Spring-Wound Cylinder
Graphophone : 1894 - 1910 is mistitled in four ways
when cited in the Acknowledgments section.
The title of Baumbach's book, Columbia
Phonograph Companion , may seem unorthodox
since few collectors call a Columbia machine a
"phonograph," a word Edison fought for the right
to use. This may be a place for me to share obser-
vations about Columbia's use of "phonograph." I
study advertisements for how "phonograph" and
"talking machine" are used and notice that
Columbia literature from before the turn of the
century to about 1923 proudly called machines
"Graphophones" or "Grafonolas," and almost
nothing else. For example, a full-page advertise-
ment in the September 15, 1910 issue of Ihe
Youth's Companion has much text praising
Grafonola models-the Regent, De Luxe, Mignon,
Elite-but "phonograph" is not used except once in
quote marks ("If you are prejudiced against all
'phonographs,' please admit that you have not
heard a 1910 Columbia Graphophone"), with the
quote marks used to raise a question about the
word's legitimacy. The text does refer to "talking
machines," even claiming that Columbia was
"Creators of the Talking Machine Industry"! In
1919-1920 the Sheraton model was widely
advertised but the word "phonograph" is not in
two dozen ads that I recently examined. On the
other hand, early 1920s catalogs do say, "The
Columbia Grafonola is The Phonograph Plus."
In Columbia advertising during the first
couple of decades of this century, the word
"phonograph" is generally avoided although the
word is used prior to 1913 wherever the company
is named. After all, the marketing arm of the
American Graphophone Company was The Col-
umbia Phonograph Company, General. Having
the word "phonograph" in the formal name was
evidently an irritant to Columbia executives, who
changed it to the Columbia Graphophone
Company in January 1913. The name was
changed back to the Columbia Phonograph
Company around the time "New Process" records
were introduced in October 1923 and around the
time a new trademark-the one word "Columbia"
sitting above tied musical notes-was adopted.
Why a name change back to the Columbia
Phonograph Company? Creditors took over after
share owners, alleging that the company was
insolvent, applied for a receivership on February 9,
1922, a date that should be added to Baumbach's
"Significant Dates" list. Perhaps the new directors
adopted "phonograph" in recognition of the buying
public's preference of that word over the inelegant
term "Grafonola." Perhaps they wanted to signal
a break or change from the troubled Graphophone
Co. days. After the British firm Columbia Grapho-
phone Company, Ltd., headed by Louis Sterling,
took over the American company in early 1925,
"phonograph" was used often in Columbia ads.
In short, purists may not call their Colum-
bia machines "phonographs," but the book's title-
Columbia Phonograph Companion -is not jarring.
It is interesting that advertisements for the
Viva-tonal Columbia in 1927 state, "You must not
regard the new Viva-tonal Columbia as a
phonograph. ..Where the phonograph employed a
'sound-box,' the needle of the Viva-tonal Columbia
is attached to an acoustic transmitter of exceeding
Page 67
sensitiveness and capacity" (Columbia rarely used
the term "sound-box," preferring "reproducer"-here
it is called an "acoustic transmitter"!). Ads imply,
in other words, that although pre-Viva-tonal
Columbia machines were indeed phonographs,
Viva-tonal machines usher in a post-phonographic
age. On the other hand, Columbia also in 1927
dubbed its Columbia-Kolster, featuring the Kolster
Power Cone Speaker, as "the electric reproducing
phonograph." Perhaps aware of how Ampico and
Duo-Art roll mechanisms were transforming pianos
into prestigious reproducing pianos, Columbia
advertising directors began promoting Viva-tonal
machines as reproducing phonographs.
Columbia disc machines have not inspired
as much interest or won as much admiration as
their Victor or Edison counterparts. Even in re-
viewing this book, I had to remind myself to focus
on the book itself, not list problems of Columbia
machines. Certainly I recognize that this book
goes far in making up for decades in which Colum-
bia was largely ignored by literature in the field.
This book will delight all who own
Columbia machines. I admit that I will continue to
cite Look For the Dog as the first book needed by
anyone starting to collect machines. Victor
machines turn up more often and are a better in-
vestment since spare parts are easy to find, experts
are ready to service Victor (but not Columbia)
sound-boxes, and Victors are usually better quality.
In short, Look For the Dog is an excellent
book about products that were mostly first-rate
whereas this new Columbia book is an excellent
book about machines that were generally second-
rate. Heavy use of pot-metal, some relatively noisy
motors, straight-tube tone arms (in contrast to
Victor's tapered arms)-Columbia quality rarely
matches that of Victor, and I know of no Columbia
machines made from 1913 to 1925 that deliver as
rich a sound as Edison Diamond Disc machines.
Columbia Viva-tonal machines do outperform pre-
Orthophonic machines, but I know of no Viva-
tonal that outperforms Victor's Orthophonic
Credenza (or 8-30). I concede that I have heard
only a few Viva-tonal machines, never the 800 or
810. Heavy advertising notwithstanding, Viva-
tonal machines must not have sold well.
This book is called Volume II because it is
one of a proposed pair of Columbia books.
Volume I, not yet issued, will cover Columbia
cylinder machines.
In hard-cover only, the Columbia Phonograph
Companion is available postpaid for $29.95 from
Allen Koenigsberg, 502 E. 17th St., Brooklyn NY
11226 (phone 718-941-6835).
September 15, 1920
THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD
NEW BOOK:
Luisa Tetrazzini: The Florentine Nightingale
By Charles Neilson Gattey
Amadeus Press (ISBN 0-931 340-87-X)
Reviewed By David Banks
The scene: Buenos Aires. The Waterfront.
A ship at a dock. A young woman and her lover
have booked passage for Brazil. To elude her
husband and the press, the woman disguises
herself as a sailor. Her lover does the same.
Undetected, the two board ship and escape.
This is not a scene from an opera! It is
one of many dramatic episodes in the life of opera
diva Luisa Tetrazzini (1871-1941).
When Charles Neilson Gattey did research
on Tetrazzini for a 1 979 book about divas, Queens
of Song , he learned that no one had written a
biography of this fabulous singer, celebrity, and
exuberant personality. Gattey has at last filled the
gap with a 379-page book.
A
©
mm
2504
Cabaletta — Sonnambula
Btthni
Signora Luisa Tetrazzini
Soprauo Leggiera
m 1
©
Tetrazzini's Zon-O-Phones were recorded in 1904
in New York City, accompanied on piano prob-
ably by basso Giulio Rossi, her lover at the time.
Fred Gaisberg helped Tetrazzini write her
memoirs, My Life in Song , published in 1921.
Gaisberg later wrote in the 1942 book The Music
Goes Round that he felt "she was only showing the
facade to the gaze of the world." With exhaustive
research Gattey has removed the facade. He
reveals the private life of the diva and gives us
more objective views of her career than the slanted
ones in her memoirs. Her love affairs, legal
wrangles, professional triumphs and disappoint-
ments-all are thoroughly chronicled by Gattey.
In addition, this is a useful research and
reference tool, having a complete chronology of
Tetrazzini's appearances (Thomas G. Kaufman
helped with this) and a list of roles in her
repertoire. Also given is an alphabetical list of
conductors and singers associated with her.
As with other volumes in Amadeus Press'
Opera Biography Series, the gem of this book is a
complete, fully annotated discography, with correct
playing speeds for original pressings noted
(William R. Moran provided the Victor speeds,
Richard Bebb the HMV). The discography is
followed by critical assessments of Tetrazzini
records by such commentators as Lord Harewood,
John Steane, Michael Aspinall, Richard Osborne,
and Michael Scott.
Gattey also includes a discography of
Luisa's second sister, Elvira, who was not in Luisa's
class but whose discography is nonetheless
welcome. Elvira's husband, Vittorio Martucci, was
musical director for Fonodisc in Milan.
Luisa's sister Eva did not record. Despite
George Bernard Shaw's pronouncement that she
was given to hysteria and vibrato, I would love an
opportunity to hear records by Eva Tetrazzini,
especially since she sang Desdemona in the
American premier of Verdi's Otello with her hus-
Page 69
band, tenor Italo Campanini, in the title role. Her
brother-in-law, Cleofonte Campanini, conducted
that first American performance.
For years collectors wondered where and
when Tetrazzini's Zon-O-Phones were recorded.
Citing William R. Moran as his source, Gattey
states that they were recorded on September 8,
1 904. The diva was in New York City to negotiate
a contract with Heinrich Conried of the
Metropolitan Opera. It was once rumored that the
pianist on these discs was Cleofonte Campanini.
Evidence now suggests the accompanist was basso
Giulio Rossi, the soprano's lover at the time.
Luisa Tetrazzini, born in Florence in 1871,
is said to have started singing at the age of 3. Her
initial training began with her sister Eva. Luisa
made her debut at the age of 19 in 1890 as Inez in
Meyerbeer's L' Africana at the Teatro Pagliano in
Florence. She was not originally scheduled for the
role. Gattey has discovered that Luisa was married
at this time to Giuseppe Scalaberni, who managed
the Pagliano Building in which the theater was
located. Luisa spent hours listening to rehearsals.
When she learned that the soprano scheduled to
sing Inez was sick, she sang as a substitute,
received an ovation, and was on her way.
Despite successes in South America,
Mexico, and San Francisco, her negotiations in
1904 with the Metropolitan Opera ran aground.
Conried signed her but failed to bind the contract
by making the stipulated performance security
deposit. When Luisa abruptly returned to San
Francisco, Conried tried to get an injunction to
prevent her from singing but he lost.
Doing research on another project, I
examined copies of the San Francisco Chronicle
from this period and found that Tetrazzini was in
the headlines daily. Was she coming? Would she
sing? Would Conried obtain the preliminary
injunction? Would it hold? One article even had
two legal analysts debating the issue.
A few years later she fought a similar legal
battle with Oscar Hammerstein I. Luisa had gained
international fame when she made her debut at
Covent Garden in 1907 (Nellie Melba was out of
TRADE
f
^ Manufactured fc>y — *
«Th© Gramophone^Company, Limited, ^\
■ and Sister Companies.
MARK
PATtNTf O
P*TtNTCD
ITALIAN
\^ SOPRANO whh O'rch.
Polonaise "Mignon" (Anibroise Thomas)
sung by
Madame TETRAZZINI
Orchestra conducted by Mr. Pircy Pitt
LONDON
053142
/
From the singer's first Gramophone Company
session, December 1907. Gattey 's discography
cites correct speeds for original pressings (William
R. Moran provided Victor speeds, Richard Bebb
the HMV). The above should be played at 78
rpm. Her Victors range from 76 to 82 rpm.
town!), and Hammerstein signed her for the
Manhattan Opera House. When banker Otto Kahn
helped the Metropolitan Opera buy out
Hammerstein, a dispute arose over who owned
Tetrazzini's contract. Gattey tells the tangled tale
well. Attempts were made to secure an injunction
to prevent her from singing in any theater until the
dispute was resolved. Headed for San Francisco
and asked about the injunction, the feisty diva said
she would sing in the streets if she had to. She
kept to this despite an injunction not being issued.
On Christmas Eve 1910, before the San Francisco
Chronicle building, Tetrazzini sang before an
estimated quarter of a million people.
Her 1907 London debut ushered in the
glory years of her recording career. It is interesting
that when Tetrazzini died, her second husband,
Pietro Vernati, sold test pressings in her personal
collection to private collectors. In this manner
some delightful unpublished items from the
September 1922 Gramophone sessions eventually
Page 70
surfaced. Now available on CD, they feature
guitar accompaniment by Toto Amici. No one
should miss her version, in French, of "Every Little
Movement Has A Meaning Of Its Own" from
Hoschna's Madame Sherry !
Gattey quotes many critics who
commented on Tetrazzini in performance. She
was often praised for her acting as well as her
singing. This came as no surprise to me since I
have seen how expressive her face is in a
wonderful 1932 sound news reel. If you wish to
hear her sing "M'appari" along with Caruso's 1 91 7
recording, watch the Legato Classics VHS tape
Legends Of Opera (LCV-01 7). Her merry laugh at
the end is like sunshine.
Gattey visited Tetrazzini's grave in Milan
and was astounded to find her mausoleum
demolished, the remains transferred to a cemetery
for the poor. Funds had not been forthcoming to
maintain her mausoleum, so it had fallen into
disrepair.
Gattey's book is a monument of a different
kind. If I feel some disappointment, the fault is not
his. I read about singers like Tetrazzini in hopes of
learning what spirit or insight guides their art, what
enables a singer to go beyond technical proficiency
and achieve a greatness that touches the soul. I
admire this diva's art very much. She is impressive
with Sonnambula 's difficult "Ah non giunge"
(Victor 88313) yet she could also sing Tosti's
"Aprile" with utter simplicity, transforming herself
into a young girl filled with guileless wonderment.
I single out her "Aprile" because it requires utmost
simplicity. When judging artistry, we should
consider how well a singer presents a simple piece
of music, and Tetrazzini succeeds here as well as
with arias requiring coloratura pyrotechnics.
Gattey notes that Tosti wrote for Tetrazzini
a cadenza for "La Serenata." Frankly, I cannot
imagine the song with a gaudy cadenza. Her
recording of "La Serenata" (Victor 92063) pre-dates
the cadenza. When she sings "Splende pura la
luna," it is as if she has just noticed how truly
splendid and pure the moon is. That is art.
The quality that makes a singer great is rarely
One of David Banks' favorite Tetrazzini records.
found in the events of the artist's life. If Gattey
fails to account for the miracle of Tetrazzini's art,
it is because miracles cannot be accounted for.
Collectors who want original pressings will
find that most of Tetrazzini's records are relatively
easy to acquire. Elusive are the Zon-O-Phone discs
and some recordings issued only in Europe. Pearl
has compiled a 5-CD set of her complete
published recordings but the transfers are noisy.
Even my original Zon-O-Phones, in fair condition,
produce less noise than the Pearl transfers. At least
the speeds on the set are correct.
The diva's complete London recordings,
including 16 sides never issued on 78s and 7
previously unpublished sides, are available, on a 3-
CD EMI set titled Luisa Tetrazzini : The London
Recordings (CHS 7-63802-2), with excellent audio
restoration by Keith Hardwick. This EMI set is
essential for Tetrazzini fans and nicely
complements the Gattey book.
For a postpaid copy of Luisa Tetrazzini : The
Florentine Nightingale send $43.50 to Norbeck &
Peters, PO Box 4, Woodstock NY 12498-0004.
Or phone (800) 654-5302. Fax is (914) 679-6904.
NEW BOOK:
King of Ragtime - Scott Joplin and His Era
By Edward A. Berlin
Oxford University Press (ISBN 0-19-510108-1)
Reviewed By Tim Gracyk
I once made a list of people who did not
record during their prime years as artists but
should have, given their fame. The list included
Groucho Marx, Shirley Temple, Marilyn Miller,
Fritzi Scheff, Anna Held. Topping the list was
Scott Joplin, but I no longer think it odd that he
never made recordings (he did cut piano rolls).
The simplest explanation for Joplin not
recording is that presumably no company invited
him to record. Company executives might have
been indifferent for a number of reasons; relatively
few artists of Joplin's generation made solo piano
recordings, and most who did were in-house
musicians; when "Maple Leaf Rag" first became
popular, Joplin lived in the Mid-West, far from the
recording industry; Joplin was not highly regarded
as a player, certainly not by the time he moved
east to where the recording industry was located-
syphilis hindered his playing; Joplin's was never a
household name, notwithstanding the popularity of
"The Maple Leaf Rag, until the 1970s with the
success of The Sting and "The Entertainer."
Recently issued in paperback, Edward A.
Berlin's biography of the composer is essential
reading for anyone interested in popular music
from the 1890s to WWI and therefore will interest
most V78I readers. It will delight those who love
ragtime. Adopting standards that I wish all books
would meet, it should be required reading for all
who write about popular music of the past since it
is partly about how to conduct research and
evaluate sources.
I like the fact that Berlin never exaggerates
Joplin's popularity during the composer's lifetime.
He writes, "Much has been written about the
prodigious sales of ['Maple Leaf Rag'], but we must
be judicious in evaluating the claims. ..As popular
as the 'Maple Leaf was, it did not sell as much as
the most popular vocal music." Its publisher, John
Stark, advertised that a million copies had been
sold, but his actual ledgers suggest that "million"
was the inflated figure of a salesman.
The fact that "Maple Leaf" was recorded
eight times in Joplin's life confirms that it was
genuinely popular, but I wish Berlin had
mentioned that not one of these recordings sold
wel I . Readers m ight wrongly concl ude that "Maple
Leaf Rag" was often played on phonographs.
While never exaggerating Joplin's
popularity, Berlin may overstate ragtime's when he
writes in the Preface, "Ragtime dominated
American popular music for two decades..."
Whether we measure by sheet music sales or
record sales, I would say that the ballad or
sentimental song dominated the period, if any type
of music did. No one type actually dominated.
For example, record lists of 1910 show a mix of
marches, waltzes, ballads, rags, comic numbers,
and sacred tunes. Comic numbers were often
ragtime-influenced, maybe also the occasional
waltz (Joplin called his "Pleasant Moments" a
ragtime waltz), but even if ragtime is defined in a
very loose manner, it never accounted for more
than a fraction of titles issued on sheet music and
recordings during any given month.
Berlin reports all facts of consequence
about Joplin and exposes widely reported "facts" as
being incorrect-Joplin was not born on November
24, 1868, the date found in several books (Joplin
had to have been born prior to that but no exact
date is known); he was not born in Texarkana; and
so on. Berlin presents what other researchers have
discovered, carefully giving credit in his Acknow-
ledgments page and footnotes; adds his own
significant findings; meticulously documents his
sources; duplicates rare photographs and legal doc-
Page 72
uments. The writing is a model of conciseness and
clarity, with the musical analysis never obtrusive,
the discussion of sources never pedantic.
Berlin has scrutinized Joplin sheet music
and points out the significance of the composer
publishing with first this publisher, then that
publisher. Discussing the 1914 "Magnetic Rag,"
Berlin points out that "since he published it
himself, we can assume it reflects his wishes in
every respect," an interesting comment on works
not self-published. We may never know which
publishers altered Joplin's music and the extent of
possible alterations.
Berlin identifies allusions and references
whenever possible. For example, he writes, "The
dedication of Pine Apple [Ragl -'to the Five Musical
Spillers'-is not surprising, given Joplin's close
friendship with Sam Patterson and William Spiller."
The 1902 "The Strenuous Life: A Ragtime Two
Step" refers to a speech, then a published book of
speeches, by Theodore Roosevelt. Berlin writes,
"[Tjhe phrase 'strenuous life' was so closely associ-
ated with the President that the audience of 1902
would have recognized the reference." Subtitled
"Maple Leaf Rag" was available on several
"traditional jazz" labels of the '40s. Other Joplin
works were recorded for the first time in the '40s.
"Scott Joplin And His Era," this book places Joplin
in a meaningful historical context.
Berlin judges the quality of some works.
"Rose Leaf Rag" is called "another outstanding"
composition whereas "A Breeze" is "not one of
Joplin's better rags." "March Majestic," from 1 902,
is "a good march, in 6/8 meter, but not one to call
attention to itself." This may alienate those who
believe that aesthetic judgements can mar a
scholarly work, but Berlin establishes such
familiarity with even the most obscure Joplin
compositions that I am happy to learn how this
Joplin authority ranks some works.
A secondary theme in this book is that a
researcher must never accept at face value
anything said or written by others, especially if a
source is clearly wrong about some things. Berlin
writes on page 5, "In studying his life, we are
continually faced with conflicting evidence. In
view of this general lack of certainty, the approach
in this biography is to present all the reasonable
information, to discuss the options, and to suggest
what seems most plausible." If Berlin was exasper-
ated by discovering much that is clearly erroneous
in the testimony and published research of others,
he hides it. On page 143, when evaluating the
testimony of cousins surnamed Martin, he does
state, "Once again we see the unreliability of
testimony," but this sounds testy only if yanked out
of context. In fact, their testimony, though flawed,
inspired a search that led to a major discovery.
Recollections of those who once knew
Joplin must be considered but not accepted as
truth without verification from other sources. As
Berlin puts it, "[W]e can learn from testimony but
retain a healthy skepticism and continue to search
for more evidence." Marriage certificates, John
Stark's logs, contemporaneous newspaper
accounts, census listings, copyright applications,
city directories-these are sources that, carefully
interpreted, establish where Joplin was, what he
was doing, when he was doing it. If I were to
hold a seminar on collecting and evaluating
primary and secondary sources, I could assign this
book as a classroom text.
Page 73
Usually biographers of major composers
can study papers left behind and also build upon
previous biographers' research. Joplin evidently
destroyed many unpublished works, afraid of
others stealing his compositions. Manuscripts that
survived were poorly cared for by his wife. More-
over, Joplin has been ill-served by previous books
about him, with the exception of Rudi Blesh and
Harriet Janis' They All Played Ragtime, which of
course covers far more than Joplin's life and com-
positions-and Blesh and Janis were often careless
with research and presentation of evidence.
That Berlin discovered so much new
information about Joplin by examining newspapers
is astonishing, his most startling discovery being
that Joplin married one Freddie Alexander on June
14, 1904. She died of pneumonia months later,
on September 10. Berlin makes a convincing
argument that Treemonisha owes much to Joplin's
memory of Freddie.
Berlin frankly admits what he has not been
able to learn. For example, he writes, "I have
been unable to discover the reason, but James
Reese Europe, Ford Dabney, Will Marion Cook, J.
Rosamond Johnson and others in the black musical
elite seem to have ignored Scott Joplin." Berlin
avoids speculation but I wonder whether these
musical leaders dismissed Joplin as a one-hit
wonder of a previous generation. Only "Maple
Leaf Rag" was genuinely successful. If other works
enjoyed even moderate success, Berlin does not
identify them as such. We do not learn what
Joplin's second most popular work was. The musi-
cal elite should have recognized Joplin's genius
despite his published works not being especially
popular; perhaps they did but personality conflicts
kept Joplin a loner in New York.
New facts about Joplin may surface in
coming years, but it is unlikely that enough will be
discovered to justify another biography soon. Even
if a copy of Joplin's first opera, the 1903 A Guest
of Honor, were to surface, we might learn little
from it. It may have been a mere warm-up
exercise for Treemonisha . Joplin possibly recycled
the best musical themes of the early ragtime opera
when writing the later grand opera. Actually,
Berlin explores the possibility that "Antoinette," a
Joplin march published in late 1906, was recycled
from A Guest of Honor . Nothing survives today
that even identifies the subject matter of the 1903
ragtime opera but Berlin makes a compelling case
that it may have been about Booker T.
Washington's dinner at Theodore Roosevelt's
White House. Berlin is always careful in stating
what is known for certain and what is speculation.
The discussion of Treemonisha is detailed
and insightful. I do not regard the work as highly
as Berlin though even he is ambiguous when
praising it: " Treemonisha is a fine opera, certainly
more interesting than most operas then being
written in the United States." The adjective "fine"
is artfully qualified. Berlin is certain that it is
interesting, perhaps not so certain that it is fine.
When listening to the recorded perform-
ance available on a Deutsche Grammophon CD
set (435709-2), I marvel that Joplin invested so
much energy promoting this work. I take into
account that Joplin might have strengthened it after
seeing it staged and that this Houston Grand Opera
performance may not be true to the composer's
intentions. Nonetheless, Joplin's genius for melody
is not evident in this opera. Berlin quotes New
York Times critic Harold Schonberg, who cited two
notable musical moments when reviewing an
Atlanta production-"A Real Slow Drag" and "Aunt
Dinah Has Blowed de Horn." I also enjoy "We're
Goin' Around (A Ring Play)" from Act I. But
memorable moments are few.
We cannot know today how Joplin trained
himself for writing opera. Berlin states, "We
learned from Alfred Ernst's remarks in 1901 that
Joplin greatly admired the operas of Richard
Wagner." Berlin, never assuming that Joplin knew
Wagner's music well, states, "We see evidence of
this admiration in Joplin's adherence to the
Wagnerian operatic ideal of a single artist being
responsible for both the music and libretto." In
other words, Joplin possibly learned from Wagner's
example only that a composer need not turn to
others for a libretto. Perhaps Joplin was inspired
Page 74
by Wagner's risky practice of composing a major
work without a contract, writing without knowing
where or when it would be performed. Sadly, Jop-
lin had no King Ludwig II to save the day-sadly,
Treemonisha is no Meistersinger . Some moments
of Joplin's serious work have a mock-epic quality,
such as Remus singing, "I am glad I came in time
to save you/From the awful sting of the wasp."
The Alfred Ernst remark about Joplin
"greatly" admiring Wagner's work spurs Berlin into
looking for possible Wagnerian influences. He
notes two parallels between Treemonisha and
Wagner's Ring cycle, but the latter work is so long
and complex that most works of theatrical art have
some parallels with the Nibelungen epic, even if
not intended. I think it possible that Joplin's
exposure to Wagner's music was limited to
potpourris played by military bands or other
pianists. It would be interesting to know whether
Joplin attended a performance of a Wagner opera.
Was Joplin familiar with the great operas
of his contemporaries-Puccini, Mascagni, Strauss,
Leoncavallo? We do not know. How carefully did
Joplin study the light operas of the most popular
American composer of his day, Victor Herbert?
By quoting a 1 91 1 item from the American
Musician and Art journal, Berlin helps readers
place Treemonisha in some context, Horatio Parker
being an example of another American composer
writing opera. Perhaps Berlin could establish more
clearly that Joplin, in completing an opera at a
time when no American composer of his
generation had written a popular opera, set himself
up for failure. The fact that it was an American
opera doomed Treemonisha , not so much that it
was composed by an African-American or explored
African-American themes, as other writers have
suggested. Vera Brodsky Lawrence states in her
notes to the Treemonisha recording that for Ameri-
cans early in this century it was "unthinkable" for
a black composer to "invade the inviolable white
precincts of grand opera," but can Lawrence name
a white American who composed a successful
opera? John Stark's refusal to publish Joplin's
score is testimony to sound business instincts.
Album I, No. 1 (109)
Rag
LU" WATTERS'
YERBA BUENA JAZZ BAND
AAAPLE LEAF RAG
by Scott Joplin
Lu Waiters, Bob Scobey, Corned; Ellis Home,
Clmrintt,T\uk Murphy, Trombont; Waller Rose,
/ > iano;Clarence Hayes, Russ Bcinini. Banjt s\
Dick Lammi, Am; Bill Dan.Drnmi.
Recorded Dec.
In the early '40s many embraced traditional jazz
as an alternative to swing and bebop. Interest in
jazz roots led to a new appreciation of ragtime,
with many Joplin compositions newly arranged
for ensembles and recorded. Lu Watters
organized the Yerba Buena Jass Band in 1941.
I detect some arrogance in Joplin's belief
that he could succeed with opera when no other
American composer had. Consider also Joplin's
pronouncement on sheet music, beginning in 1 905
with "Leola," that "It is never right to play 'rag
time' fast." Never? That he says this about all
rags, including others', suggests that he took the
epithet "King of Ragtime Writers," which appeared
on sheet music beginning in 1901 with "Peacher-
ine Rag," too seriously. Berlin notes that Joplin
may have added this to sheet music because
"Maple Leaf Rag" was used by pianists as a
virtuoso showcase. Nonetheless, Joplin was bold
to make this sweeping statement about ragtime.
Did it have any weight with his contemporaries?
There may be no evidence in the
testimony of those who knew him that Joplin was
arrogant, but Joplin pupil Brun Campbell does state
in an article for lazz Record that Joplin "was a little
hot headed at times." That Campbell recalled this
personal trait and no others may be significant. It
is true that Campbell, like others, is a problematic
source. In an autobiographical piece first
published in a 1940s jazz journal and reprinted in
John Edward Hasse's Ragtime : jts History
Composers and Music , Campbell recalls that when
Joplin died, "each carriage in his funeral
procession carried the name of one of his
compositions." Berlin explains in a footnote why
Campbell's claim about the funeral is "pure
fantasy." Berlin does not quote the "hot headed"
comment. Was Joplin a difficult man? For those
willing to acknowledge Joplin's genius-Joseph
Lamb did, for instance-Joplin could be generous.
Some footnotes are as interesting as the
main text. I like knowing not only that Joplin is
buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in East Elmhurst,
New York but that it is "plot 5, row 2, grave 5."
We learn in Chapter 12 that Joplin purchased
sometime after 1908 "a large Steinway grand
piano," and a footnote adds, "The piano still exists
and is in private hands; I have not been permitted
to see it. The serial number indicates it had been
purchased new-not by Joplin~in 1908." This
speaks volumes about Berlin's attention to detail.
Most biographies end with the death of the
book's subject, but Berlin's final chapter, "The
Legacy of Scott Joplin," goes decades beyond
1917, explaining what happened to Joplin's estate
and how Joplin's name was revived, his genius
acknowledged.
I am amused to find in this final chapter
an instance of Berlin deviating from the
dispassionate, objective tone used elsewhere in the
book. When discussing Richard Zimmerman's
five-record set, titled Scott loplin— His Complete
Works, Berlin calls the set's inclusion of
Treemonisha excerpts to be a "tragic error." It was
costly to a record company because of a perceived
copyright violation-hardly "tragic." Berlin never
uses the word when recounting Joplin's life, which
had tragic moments. Freddie's sudden death must
have been the emotional low-point.
Incidentally, Zimmerman's five-record set,
originally issued by Abend, is now a Laserlight 5-
Page 75
CD set (15-945). I purchased my copy at a Price
Club/Costco outlet for under $20. Is there better
evidence of Joplin's rags having entered
"mainstream" culture than the availability of his
complete works at a Price Club outlet? That the
ice cream truck in my neighborhood plays "The
Entertainer" everyday is additional evidence.
Appendix B reprints three Joplin
compositions missing from the so-called Complete
Works of Scott loplin , edited by Vera Brodsky
Lawrence (who died this September). Berlin makes
corrections where they are clearly needed-an "its"
is changed to "it's," one F is changed to F sharp,
and so on-but carefully indicates what the original
source has, thereby creating no problems for future
generations of scholars.
Published by Oxford University Press, King Of
Ragtime is available for $14.95 in all bookstores
with well-stocked music sections.
An unusual 78 from the 1940s-"Maple Leaf Rag"
as played by Joplin on a piano roll, made decades
earlier. The disc was issued by Brun Campbell
(1884-1953), called here "Joplin's only white pupil
of the 1890s." Campbell was rediscovered in the
'40s. He owned a barber shop at that time.
NEW CD: Emmett Miller,
The Minstrel Man From Georgia
Columbia/Legacy CD 66999
Reviewed by Frank M. Young
This CD collects the best of Emmett
Miller's legendary Okeh recordings of 1928 and
1929. Miller was an innovative singer whose
influence on the development of country music
perhaps equaled Jimmie Rodgers'. Yet Miller has
slipped into the obscurity of "legend" while
Rodgers' music has remained alive.
Emmett Miller came from an American
stage tradition that is generally derided today.
Though he was a respected singer, he was better
known as a blackface comedian. His minstrel-
show routines were highly rated by his peers, en-
joyed by vaudeville audiences, and featured on his
records. The fact that his material evolved from
minstrel shows may be what has kept these fine
recorded performances out of reach for so long.
The cover of the CD's booklet is daring for
PC-crazy 1996. It features a detail from a lushly
colored vaudeville poster showing Miller in full
blackface regalia, a green derby tipped cockily on
his head, his smile exaggerated by grotesque
painted pink lips. Blackface comedy permeates
Miller's work and his image.
Miller is one of the great stylists of
American recorded music. Three decades before
Hank Williams, Sr. and Elvis Presley gained fame
(and created controversy) by blending Caucasian
and Afro-American musics, Miller could say with
pride, "Been there, done that!" His recordings
offer a charming and stylish mix of American song
forms: pop, jazz, hillbilly and blues.
Miller is best known for his influence on
others. His singing voice certainly influenced
Jimmie Rodgers. In 1945 country crooner Eddy
Arnold scored a hit with a revival of Herbert
Lawson's 1921 "Anytime," which Miller recorded
acoustically in 1924. Hank William, Sr. went from
struggling contender to national star with his 1948
remake of "Lovesick Blues," a popular tune by the
time Miller first waxed it in 1 925. Modern country
star George Strait released a version of Haven Gil-
lespie's "Right or Wrong," a Miller side from 1929.
Miller's soaring, seemingly effortless vocal
inflections-including some of the slickest, most
soulful yodel ing ever captured on record-also
seem to have influenced the senior Williams.
Miller's presence is also felt in the vocals of Milton
Brown, a Western swing trailblazer.
Yet, unlike Hank Williams or Jimmie
Rodgers, Miller did not inspire a wave of obvious
copycats. There is something about his rascally,
spirited way of "selling" a song that no one could
hope to mimic. Miller's best performances, still
sounding original and fresh, offer a vivid window
into America's past-a world of old traditions and
beliefs challenged by rapid change.
Miller's minstrel-show comedy is much
less offensive than other remnants of its era-say,
the depressing comedy routines of Moran and
Mack ("Two Black Crows") or the demeaning
figures portrayed by Mantan Moreland and Stepin
Fechit in films of the '30s. As Charles Wolfe notes
in this CD's superb liner notes, Miller was an ace
comedian. His routines are often genuinely funny,
especially in the short bits that preface many of the
20 songs here. His 1928 electric re-make of
"Anytime," for example, opens with a sharp 80
second comedy skit, and the 1928 take of
"Lovesick Blues" dances through 45 seconds of
snappy patter before Miller begins the song's verse.
If Miller's exaggerated dialect-humor rubs
some the wrong way nowadays, his cheerful and
ingratiating way with a song more than
compensates. He is backed by jazz all-stars,
including Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, guitarist Ed-
die Lang, pianist Arthur Schutt, and trumpeter Leo
McConville. Miller's vocals mesh beautifully with
the band's relaxed, confident bounce.
Page 77
Many songs here are familiar: "I Ain't Got
Nobody," "St. Louis Blues," "She's Funny That
Way," and the tunes mentioned earlier. Miller's
vocals newly reveal the songs' ageless appeal.
Lesser known are "God's River" and "The
Ghost of the St. Louis Blues." Dramatically
arranged and performed, "God's River" is Miller at
his best. With a mood similar to Willard Robison's
"Jubilee," this sounds like it could have been a
show-stopper in a Broadway musical. Miller works
it with showbiz flair. Particularly fine is the song's
rising, propulsive bridge, in which Miller's vocals
are accented by Eddie Lang's driving guitar fills.
Here is a masterpiece from the late 1920s.
"The Ghost of the St. Louis Blues" is a
novelty song that opens with a tongue-in-check
"mysterioso" theme, heard in dozens of '30s
animated cartoons. Miller sings of an unfortunate
fellow who cannot get the W.C. Handy tune out of
his head: "...like a fiend, it keeps haunting me.. .all
night long it rambles on in my brain, 'til I'm near
insane..." The song's melody embellishes Handy's
familiar blues with exciting twists and turns. On
this, Miller sings in close harmony with Phil Pavey.
He sinks his teeth into a trio of tunes
penned by Jack Yellen and Milton Ager: "Lovin'
Sam (The Sheik of Alabam')," "Big Bad Bill is
Sweet William Now," and "That's the Good Old
Sunny South." Fred Rose's "Sweet Mama (Papa's
Getting Mad)" and Spencer Williams' "The Blues
Singer (From Alabam)" are also strong vehicles.
Listening to these numbers, one easily pictures
Miller on-stage in full minstrel make-up.
One selection that may offend some
listeners is "Pickaninnies' Paradise," composed by
Sam Ehrlich and Nat Osborne, but taken in context
of its era, it is actually a charming song. Miller
and the band perform the 1918 tune as a beloved
hand-me-down, giving it a sleepy music-hall gait.
This CD is excellent, from its packaging
and liner notes to the transfers of the vintage
recordings. Sony/Columbia still has some
problems with disc and metal part transfers, which
often seem unusually harsh and cold. For this
project, superior source material was evidently
used; the transfers are warm and clean.
Charles Wolfe's essay on Miller is en-
gaging and well-written but he is bold in claiming
that Miller's first disc, made in late 1924 and
featuring "Anytime" backed by "The Pickaninnies'
Paradise" (Miller redid these titles in 1928), "is so
rare that no copies are known to exist." Regarding
two discs from 1925 (Okeh 40465 and 40545), he
states, "[N]o copies are even known to exist."
How systematic was Wolfe in searching for copies?
Did Wolfe ask many collectors of 78 RPM discs
whether they own the discs? Worse, Wolfe
supposes that no copy of Miller's 1925 acoustic
record of "Big Bad Bill" exists, yet its label is
clearly reproduced four pages earlier in the
booklet! Even though the electric version is on the
CD, the acoustic version is shown here-number
40465, the "Electric" oval missing from the label.
When discussing songs, Wolfe makes a
welcome effort to provide authorship. The "Roots
'n' Blues" series and other Sony/Columbia reissues
have often been spotty on tunesmith credits.
Kudos to producers George Morrow and
Lawrence Cohn for recognizing the beauty of
Miller's music. Here are vital pieces of American
musical history that should be heard even by those
who might find them offensive.
A Survey of CDs Featuring Bill Monroe (1912-1996)
By Todd Gracyk
Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music,
passed away on September 9, 1996 at the age of
84. Three days later he was buried at his
birthplace home in Rosine, Kentucky.
Monroe is a towering figure in the history
of country music because of his central role in the
development of bluegrass, a traditional based
acoustic string band music. But while bluegrass
music has roots in Appalachian folk music, it is
also a very modern improvisational music,
incorporating elements of blues and jazz. Since
Monroe is among my favorite artists, I am happy to
provide a guide to what is available today on CD
for those interested in Monroe's seminal recordings
of the 78 rpm era.
First I should say a little about his career.
Since Monroe performed until early this year, some
members of his audience may not realize how far
back the career goes. At age 25, Monroe first
recorded on February 17, 1936 for RCA Victor's
Bluebird label, playing mandolin and singing a
high, hard tenor to his brother Charlie's guitar and
lead vocals on the now classic number "My Long
Journey Home." Nine other titles were cut during
this session. Four months later the two brothers
returned to the same Charlotte, North Carolina
studio to record another ten titles. The Monroe
Brothers, like many brother duos of the era, were
popular on radio and recorded a total of 60 sides
between 1936 and 1938.
In 1938 Monroe went to Little Rock,
Arkansas and formed a short lived string band
called the Kentuckians. He soon relocated to
Atlanta, Georgia and formed the Blue Grass Boys.
In 1939 he successfully auditioned for the Grand
Ole Opry. For his Opry debut Monroe and his
Blue Grass Boys performed J immie Rodgers' "Mule
Skinner Blues" in high gear. In 1940 Monroe and
his Blue Grass Boys recorded this and seven other
numbers for RCA Victor. The timing for bluegrass
music was established, but the instrumental and
vocal styles of bluegrass were not fully developed
until 1945 when guitarist Lester Flatt and banjoist
Earl Scruggs joined the band.
Scruggs introduced an obscure North Caro-
lina three finger picking style to the band's sound.
Recordings made for Columbia on September 16,
1946 with Monroe, Flatt, Scruggs, fiddler Chubby
Wise, and bassist Howard Watts are considered by
many to be the first true bluegrass recordings. This
classic Blue Grass Boys configuration recorded a
total of 28 titles between September of 1946 and
October of 1947, including the popular Monroe
composition "Blue Moon of Kentucky."
Columbia was slow in releasing these. For
example "Blue Grass Breakdown," the first and
possibly most influential bluegrass instrumental
ever, was not released until March of 1949.
Meanwhile, Monroe made a great impact
via radio and stage appearances. By 1948 his
sound was being copied by several bands, notably
Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain
Boys (sometimes called Flatt and Scruggs) as well
as the Virginia-based The Stanley Brothers and the
Clinch Mountain Boys. By the early 1950s every
major country music label featured a bluegrass
band though the term "bluegrass" was not widely
used until later. In 1957 Monroe recorded his first
LP, Knee Deep in Blue Grass . The folk music
boom of this period helped popularize bluegrass.
Monroe was a outstanding songwriter of
both sacred and secular material, and his songs
have a timeless quality. He was a brilliant
mandolin soloist and a fine lead and tenor singer.
Some single CD anthologies as well as
multi-CD box sets are available. Titles are
duplicated on most. The 4 CD set titled The
Music of BiN Monroe From 1936 to 1994 (MCA
11048) provides a solid overview of Monroe's
career. The set puts no special emphasis on any
one period, which means that the 3rd and 4th
discs featuring more recent material are weak
compared to the 1st and 2nd discs. After all,
Monroe's finest recordings were made between
1946 and 1954.
The Monroe Brothers recordings have not
Page 79
been collected on CD. However, "My Long
Journey Home" and the duo's first re I ease-" What
Would You Give In Exchange (For Your Soul)?"-
are included in the MCA retrospective set. Three
other Monroe Brothers gems-"Nine Pound
Hammer Is Too Heavy/' "Roll In My Sweet Baby's
Arms," and "Have A Feast Here Tonight"-are on
the CD Are You From Dixie? Great Country
Brother Teams of the 1930s (BMG/RCA 84 1 7-4-R) .
Regrettably, this fine CD is now out of print.
The recordings of Bill Monroe and his
Blue Grass Boys made for RCA Victor in 1940 and
1941 are collected on the CD Mule Skinner Blues
(BMG/RCA 2494-2-R). With first Clyde Moody
and later Pete Pyle on guitar as well as occasional
lead, these 16 tracks are weak when compared to
other Monroe recordings. This is another CD that
is no longer easy to find but two of these cuts,
"Cryin' Holy Unto My Lord" and "Back Up and
Push," are available on the MCA retrospective set.
The 2 CD set J_he Essential Bill Monroe
and His Blue Grass Boys : 1945 - 1949 (Columbia/
Legacy 52478) is a problematic anthology because
16 out-takes are used, false starts are left in (which
I find annoying), and its booklet is mediocre, with
even a glaring error of Scruggs identified on bass
rather than banjo. In early 1996 this was partially
rectified with the budget CD J_6 Gems (Columbia/
Legacy 53908), which reissues the original singles
that were featured only as out-takes in the box set.
16 Gems has attractive, informative packaging (the
one error is minor~an incorrect recording date for
"Can't You Hear Me Calling?", one of Monroe's
best cuts that features Mac Wiseman on lead
vocals) and since it includes 9 great numbers
recorded with the classic Blue Grass Boys between
1946 and 1947, J_6 Gems is as good a CD as any
for one beginning a Monroe collection.
I won't list compilations that include only
one Monroe recording of the 78 rpm era but will
make an exception for Columbia's remarkable 4-
CD set Roots n' Blues - J_he Retrospective ( 1925 -
1950) (Columbia/Legacy 47911), which has a
previously unissued take of "Goodbye Old Pal,"
recorded February 13, 1945.
It is a shame that many essential Monroe
recordings-letter From My Darlin'," "On The Old
Kentucky Shore," "Get Down On Your Knees and
Pray," "Memories of You," "Highway of Sorrow,"
"When the Golden Leaves Begin to Fall"-have
been re-issued only in an expensive German box
set collection, Bluegrass 1950-1958 (Bear Family
15423). Although you can buy on CD several
modern covers of these classics, you cannot have
the original performances on CD unless you spend
about $90 on this imported set.
Since it features all Monroe recordings
made for Decca between 1950 and 1958, I
consider the Bear Family set to be far stronger than
the MCA set. I feel the period between 1950 and
1954 is Monroe's very best, most lonesome work
(Jimmy Martin and Carter Stanley are lead vocalists
on most tracks). Both the MCA and this Bear
Family set have excellent booklets. Both are worth
owning but I play the Bear Family one much more
often. Two Bear Family box sets covering later
periods of Monroe's career are also available.
The Vita-Phonic
Reproducer
NEW CD: Masters of the Xylophone:
George Hamilton Green and Joe Green
Xylophonia XMC 001 -
In articles about various artists-Marion
Harris, Nat Shilkret, Collins and Harlan-I have
rued the fact that no CDs are devoted to these
individuals. At best, a track or two is found on a
CD. The Green Brothers have not suffered this
neglect. A CD preserving their art is available
courtesy of Lewis Green, Jr., son of Lew Green
(1909-1992) and nephew of Joe Green (1892-
1939) and George Hamilton Green (1893-1970).
The Greens merit their own CD. They
were not the first to make xylophone recordings
(that must be A.T. Van Winkle, who made North
American cylinders with Edward Issler in 1 889) but
may have been this century's most popular masters
of the instrument (Lionel Hampton and Milt
Jackson played vibraphone, not xylophone). The
Greens, George especially, were in the foreground
when popular music underwent a transformation in
1917-1919. The sound in early 1919 of the All
Star Trio-comprised of Green, Victor Arden, and F.
Wheeler Wadsworth-was new, fresh. The March
1919 Victor supplement introducing the trio even
proclaims that this is "a new instrumental combina-
tion." Though the trio is not remembered as a jazz
ensemble, it was among the first groups to record
some songs now known as jazz standards, such as
"St. Louis Blues," "Sensation," "Beale Street Blues."
On this CD, the All Star Trio performs
Euday L. Bowman's "12th Street Rag" (Victor
18713), issued in February 1921 with "Dotty
Dimples" on its reverse side. Only Earl Fuller and
the Brown Brothers had recorded earlier versions
of "12th Street Rag," which would end up being
the rag most recorded in the 78 RPM era.
In early 1919 the two Greens were a
recording team, making discs for over a decade
issued under such names as Green Brothers'
Xylophone Orchestra, Xylophone Band, Novelty
Orchestra, Marimba Orchestra, even Mellorimba
Orchestra. I find All Star Trio performances, and
duets by George H. Green and Frank Banta, to be
more interesting than the larger ensemble record-
Reviewed by Tim Gracyk
ings. On the other hand, "Yes! We Have No
Bananas" as played by the Green Brothers' Novelty
Band for Edison Diamond Disc 51 1 77 may be the
finest version on record.
In the terse CD notes, Lewis Green notes
that "it is thought that there are thousands of
recordings of the Green Brothers." The 20
selections on the CD are well-chosen. They are
listed below, with dates indicating song copyrights,
not the year of the recording. Regrettably, the
original format of each performance-Victor?
Columbia? Edison?-is not indicated.
This is a well-done CD but play only a few
cuts at a time. I never recommend listening to 20
xylophone solos in one sitting. I say the same
about Berliners and Uncle Josh skits.
Re-enterant Horn Type
Ted Lewis' personalized label was announced in Talking Machine World in February 1929
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NKW Columbia Records by Ted Lewis and his
Band will come to you shortly in a new and
livelier dress.
The Ted Lewis labels will be in silver and
black — in the attractive design shown above.
Envelopes will be slrikinglyeolorful and covered
with characteristic poses of the inimitable Ted
Lewis romping his stuff.
Why are we doing this? — Just put a few of
these records in your window or in your counter
racks and you'll know our reason! I he new
coloring adds about 500% to their attention
ting power — and the more eyes you catch, the
more customers you gel. Thai's one reason.
Here's another
There are millions of Ted Lewis fans through-
out the country who buy his new numbers the
minute they see them, ami these new color
labels and envelopes arc just another way of
helping them see — and helping you sell!
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